A HISTORY — OF — ■WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND, FROM THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENTS TO-THE PRESENT TIME INCLUDING A History of Hagerstown BY THOMAS J. C. WILLIAMS TO THIS IS ADDED A BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF REPRESENTATIVE FAMILIES PREPARED FROM DATA OBTAINED FROM ORIGINAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION JUIuflJrateii PUBLISHERS : JOHN M. RUNK &. L. R. TITSWORTH, 05 PREFATORY NOTES. The author of this book was engaged io newspaper work in Hagerstown as Editor of ^Tiie Hagerstown Mail for about 17 years. He came into possession of numerous files of ^Hagerstown newspapers. From these this History is principally compiled. It is not intended ~~ to be a book of reference ; it does not profess to be free from inaccuracies. The sources from which the incidents related have been taken are many of them fallable. That part which re¬ lates to the Civil AVar does not profess to be a military history and in the exciting times of the War, while Washington County was the scene of great events, there were doubtless thousands of happenings which I have not recorded. During a considerable period of the War the newspapers were suspended I have made free use of documents and facts recorded in Scharff’s History of Washington County which is now out of print and cannot be obtained. I have felt free to do this because I gave to Mr. Scharff a large amount of the material which he used. Samuel Kercheval’s history, together with articles in the newspapers about the pioneers and Indian Warfare are the authorities used for the colonial period and the manner of life of the early settlers. These chronicles are written without taking any thought of the “ dignity of history.” Many incidents are recorded which appear to be trivial. But they give a better understanding of the character of our people. If I have failed to make this history interesting it is not because of lack of abundant material, for Washington County has been the scene of great events and the dwelling place of many famous and interesting men and women. In all my work, which began many years ago, I have received the aid and sympathy of my former partner in publishing The Mail and my close personal friend for the third of a century, Edwin Bell, an actor in many of the scenes that I have described and one who as an Editor and a public spirited and patriotic citizen has contributed greatly to the advancement and prosperity of his native county. T. J. C. W. A work such as we are now pleased to present to our many patrons, in which we have collected and placed in permanent form the annals of an interesting section of Maryland, has two sources of value. One of these is its historic utility as a memorial of the progress and development of the community, from the earliest period with which we could become ac¬ quainted through family records and traditions to the present day. The preservation of these Bata affords tbe means of illustrating and confirming or correcting and amending extant histories, and supplies material for the compilation of future ones The second source of- value is the personal interest attaching to the biographical and genealogical records compris¬ ing our portion of this work, either as studies of life and character, or as memoirs of individ uals connected with the reader as relatives or fellow citizens. On both these accounts, a collection of biographical records is a useful contribution to current literature and a legacy to succeeding generations. Colonies of various nationalities and creeds peopled tlie territory now comprising Washington County ; their descendants have taken an active part in national affairs, in war and in peace ; and it will be strange in¬ deed if their annals have not brought to view many scenes and revealed many facts well worthy being noted and remembered. In the execution of this work no pains were spared to ensure the absolute truth upon which its value depends. The material comprising the History of Washington County, ex¬ cept the chapter relating to the churches, which was mostly contributed by ministers and competent writers, credit for which is given in the several notes, was compiled by T. J. C. Williams, whose statement precedes ours and is to the point. His production must prove to be a valuable addition to the library of every one who is fortunate enough to secure a copy and will be a lasting tribute to his memory. The biographical sketches were gathered from the most trustworthy sources by careful note-takers. After being arranged by competent writers, and neatly type-written, these biographies were submitted by mail and otherwise, for correction and revision, which we hope was so thorough that few if any errors in facts, names or dates will be found in the complete work. Those who furnished the data are, therefore, responsible for its genuineness and authenticity. Great care was taken to have the sketches as free from error as possible, but we do not hold ourselves responsible for mistakes, as no charge was made for the inser¬ tion of any reading matter contained in the book. Let the History and Biographical Record of Washington County, the first in the United States to be named after the “Father of Our Country,” lie as a green wreath on the resting place of those pioneers, who, driven from their foreign homes by persecution, braved the sorrows of expatriation and the perils of the wilderness through single-hearted devotion to principle ; and of those who came from motives which, if less heroic, were not less laudable, desiring as they did to find room and favoring circumstances for the growth and prosperity of their families. The worth of the posterity of these early pioneers has been proved by the religious, educational and benevolent institutions that have sprung up within the borders of Washing¬ ton County ; by the public works in which many have taken a distinguished part ; by their record of military service, and their no less valuable services as civilians; in brief, by the whole social fabric which they have reared, and' which makes the land rescued by their forefathers from the wilderness a region of homes, cultured, peaceful and inviting. In conclusion the publishers acknowledge their indebtedness for the sympathy of the press throughout Washington County, and especially to Tiie Mail, for its unceasing and untiring efforts, both in its Job Department and Bindery, where this work was executed and perfected ; to the ministers and other writers for their valuable contributions ; and to those enterprising citizens who lent their support and encouragement to the enterprise, without which we could not have carried it to a final completion. Doubtless there will be disap¬ pointment among those who may have expected us to perpetuate their memories at our own expense, but no one is to blame but themselves, for they had ample opportunity We take pride in the belief that we have more than fulfilled the promises made in our prospectus, and feel that we will receive the approbation of every reasonably disposed patron. RUNK & TITS WORT II, Publishers. CONTENTS OF VOLU/AE I. CHAPTER I.—The period of Washington County History—The Indians—The pioneer set¬ tlors of the Valley—Their isolation and manner of life—The bill of fata*—Their hunting parties— Habitation and customs—Wedding festivities. pp. 9—1G. CHAPTER II.—The Hagerstown Valley—- Its physical aspects and beauties—Minerals—a splendid hunting ground—Battles between Cataw- bas and Delawares—Indian Remains—Lack of bread—Lord Baltimore’s offer to settlers—Settlers from Pennsylvania—Redemptioners—The settle¬ ment at Conococheague—Henry Bouquet—Chew’s farm—Hagerstown first laid out—Joseph Chap- line founds Sharpsburg—Johnson and Jacques— Visit of Eddes—Burgoyne’s army—Christian Boerstler. pp. 17—29 CHAPTER III.—Border disputes—Mason and Dixon’s line—Thomas Cresap in border war¬ fare—Captured and carried to Philadelphia. pp. 31—36. CHAPTER IV.—The French and Indian War—Braddock’s march through the Valley—His orderly book—Franklin provides wagons—the in¬ road of Indians and slaughter of the settlers— Cresap as an Indian fighter—Fort Frederick built —A love story and a tragedy—Narrative of a cap¬ tive—Question of taxation. pp. 37—58. CHAPTER V.—Jonathan Hager—Potomac Company—Legal value of foreign coins—Trade down the river to Georgetown—Hager unseated by the legislature—Naturalized and re-elected—Ha¬ ger accidentally killed—Litigation about his prop¬ erty—Jonathan Hager J jv—H is marriage and ■widow—Bartholomew Booth’s school—Letter fiom Benedict Arnold—The first church. pp. 59—71. CHAPTER VI.—The Revolution—The first meeting—A tea burning—Committee of observa¬ tion appointed—John Stull the President—Enlist¬ ment of soldiers—Michael Cresap’s Company marches to Boston—Cresap and Logan controversy —Otho Holland Williams—Other soldiers—Min¬ utes of committee of safety. | pp. 72—83. CHAPTER VII.—Washington County form¬ ed—Resolution of the convention—The first county- court—The site of the Court House—Daniel and Rosanna Heister—Thomas Hart—Visit of Presi¬ dent Washington—Site for the Federal City— Ridiculing Conococheague—Hagerstown taverns— The use of whiskey—The Washington Spy—Rosa Orndorif—Home manufactures—Use of the Ger¬ man language—Schools at the end’of the 18th century—Theatricals—The monster of Madagas¬ car—Postoffices—Mail carriers—Merchants and trade—Emigration to the West—Adventures of the Reynolds family—Thomas Hart goes to Ken¬ tucky—Lucretia the wife of Henry Clay—The Jail and Alms House—Political events in the last decade of the Century The trouble with France. pp. 85—110. CHAPTER VIII—The whiskey insurrection —Hagerstown a recruiting station—Yellow fever scare—Fixe company organized—James Bumsey and the first steamboat—Washington’s certificate —Rumsey's tragic death in London—Thomas Cooper’s visit. pp. 111—123. CHAPTER IX.—Ceremonies at the death of Washington—Causeways in the public square— Washington County for Jefferson—Two thousand celebrate on Rohrer’s Hill—Duels between officers of the TJ. B. Army—Join! Barnes of Montpelier —John Thompson Mason—Alexander Neill—Rise of Wm. Clark—Scarcity of currency—Deatli of Gen. Heister—John Buchanan appointed judge —Thomas Buchanan—Mary Pottenger—Rates fixed _ by judges—severe sentences—Nathaniel Rochester—William Fitzhugh—Charles Carroll—• Emigrants to Western New York—Death of Mid¬ shipman Israel. pp. 125—141. CHAPTER X.—Meetings to sustain Jeffer¬ son in the troubles with France—Military com¬ panies—The war of 181'!—Some Washington County soldiers—Col. C. G. Boerstler—Newspa¬ pers started—Manufactures—German customs in Hagerstown. pp. 143—150. CHAPTER XI.—Turnpikes and bad roads— The battle of Funkstown—Banks required to sub¬ scribe to turnpike companies—-The National Road —Fire companies—-Threshing machines—A new jail to be built—Trial andexecution of the Cot- terills—Death of Eli WiTnanis—John Palmer’s visit to Hagerstown—ptcry against Banks—Fail¬ ure of the wheat errtp and importation of bread from England—The new Court HoBH—Episcopal Church—Market House and Little Heiskell-— Thomas Kennedy and the Jew Bill—The Cold Spring—Belinda Spring—Black Rock—Monu¬ ment to Washington on the mountain above Boons- boro—Independence Day celebration in 13! 6— C'apt. Wm. Lewis. pp. 151—175 CHAPTER XII.—Election District* • Churches—Cdnsus 1K!<>—Streets of Hagerstown-—• Political campaigns—Death of Upton Lawrence— Amusements—Invitation to La Fayette—Dis¬ graceful Alms House—Free Schools rejected,—• Plan to make the Conoeocheague navigable— Route* t» the West—Frederick County Boundary —Campaign in 1825- -Occupations of Hagerstowm •—^people—Mrs. Anne Royal’s visit to Hagerstowm— Jackson campaigB^-Xatlianiel Rochester against Jackson—Jackson passis through Hagerstown— Henrv Clav in Hagerstown. pp. 177—188 CHAPTER XIII—The dark and muddy streets of Hagerstown—Williamsport—The first Agricultural Society—Sheriff George Swearingen tried and hung for tin/murder of his wife—Rachael Cunningham and her career—A temperance so¬ ciety—Jackson’s vetoes—Removal of C. W. Weaver —Jackson in Hagerstown—-Henry ('lay’s visit— South Carolina and Secession—Antietam and Conoeocheague im | ment—Rea | >< * is—Taverns —Death of (Jen. Ringgold—Benj. Galloway—Visit to Alt. Vernon. pp. 19j— 2(11. CHAPTER XIV.—History of the Cliesa- —>■ peake and Ohio Cana). pp. 203—219 CHAPTER XV.—The cholera in 1832— \ Among Canal laborers—-Thomas Kennedy dies ( with it—Disturbances among canal laborers— \ Federal Troops asked for—The first train of cars J reaches Washington County in 1834—Time table and freight rates to Harper’s Ferry—The Balti¬ more and Ohio—Litigation with the Canal Com¬ pany—-The Glorious Nineteen-—Dr. Tandy tried for quackery—Robert J. Brent—-PcUr Hnmri- ehouse. pp. 221—231. CHAPTER XVT.—Rioting on the Canal— ( Hussey’s Reaper—-A duel—Washington County < Democrat—Robert Fowler—A great snow storm—^ Fire in Hagerstowm—Luke Tiernan—John Van Lear of Tammany—Westward, Ho—Commodore Elliott—The campaign of 1840—Wm. Henry Harrison in Hagerstown—Whigs indignant with Tyler—Death, of Wm. D. Bell—Gen. George Bell —Wild Cat Banks 1 — 1 The Hagerstown Bank-Ap¬ pointment of Daniel Weisel to the Bench— James L. Freaner—The Mexican war—R. P. Hammond-—Dr. William Hammond—Major Ring- gold—Xewspapeprs—John Gruber and his Alma¬ nack—Mutual Fire Insurance Company—Sayings Bank—First National Bank—Manufacturers—- Wever Manufacturing Company—Murder of / James H. Kennedy by a mob at Carlisle—Slavery / —Name of Elizabeth Town changed to Hagers¬ town—Funkstown—Lyceum Hall—The Western Union Telegraph estahlished-MUee schools estab¬ lished—Wm. T. Hamilton elected to the Assem¬ bly in 1846—John and Hugh Kennedy—Victor Thompson—Jesse D. E. Quantrill—Persistent theft of a copper vessel—AgriculiiypO—Forty Xim n—E dwin Bell goes to California—Frank¬ lin R. R. pp. 233—264, CHAPTER XVII.—Dr. Frederick Dorsey. pp. 265—272. CHAPTER XVIII.—Cholera in 1849—Trial of Robert Swann for killing- Wm. O. Sprigg— Know Nothings—Dark streets of Hagerstown— Washington House built—Gas introduced—Fail¬ ure of Crop—Veterans of 1812—College of St, James—-Jail burned—Edwin Bell’s account of HtU< iMatt an.*!?'* in California. pp. 273—2S6. CHAPTER XIX.—The John Brown insur- rection—-Reopening of the Franklin R, R.—The Coudy school law enacted—Victor Thompson’s be¬ quest—Death of Rev. Giesy. pp. 287—301. CHAPTER XX.—The Civil War—Division of sentiment and bitterness—Union meetings— Big meeting in Hagerstown—Division—Resolu¬ tions of R. IT. Alvey—Those of Daniel Weisel— Campaign of 1860—Bell and Everett carry the County—Taking sides—Call for troops—Hostile armies—Enlisting for the Union—DeWitt C. Rench killed—Paper money—Fugitives from Vir¬ ginia—Troops in Hagerstown—Protecting the Canal—Sickness in the camps—The first war tax ■—R. IT. Alvey arrested—Militia disarmed—Price of slaves declines—Campaign of 1861—J. Gabby Duckett killed—A Hew England Thanksgiving— Jackson attacks the Canal—Jesse B. Wharton killed in prison — Lewis P. Fiery — J. V. L. Find¬ lay’s resolutions—Change scarce—Price of wheat. pp. 303—321. CHAPTER XXI.—Flush times in Hagers¬ town—Col. Kenly—The S laiLm obbed—H. Sener’s store mobbed—Runaway negroes—Horse thieves— More Mobs—The first draft—A Confederate raid"! ' pp. 311-321'. CHAPTER XXII.—Battles of South Moun¬ tain and Antietam—Crampton’s Gap—The smoke of the battle—A hideous spectacle—Col. Hender¬ son’s remarks about Lee—His desire to continue the battle—killed, wounded and missing-—Sir Gar¬ net Wolesley’s estimate—Many hospitals—I’resi¬ dent Lincoln visits Antietam—Secretary Root’s Story of two presidents—Mrs. Howard Kennedy rescues Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.—J. E. B. Stuart’s raid—Operations around St. James’ Col¬ lege—Antietam National Cemetery—A Maryland Monument— Con federate Cemetery. pp. 329—345. CHAPTER XXIII.—The Gettysburg cam¬ paign—Passage of the Confederate army to the North—The retreat—Skirmishing in Hagerstown and disturbances—An appeal for moderation—■ Quaker guns—Confederate raids—McCausland levies tribute—His defense of the burning of Chambersburg—Recollections of the war times—• How the people lived—Hospital in a barn—Dr. Kerfoot and Mr. Ooit arrested—Gen. Early’s long speech—Search for Rev. Dr. Boyd—Bishop Whit- tingham—John W. Breathed—Maj. James Breath¬ ed—Major George Freaner. pp. 31-7—366 CHAPTER XXIV.—Close of the war—Con¬ dition of the people—Emigration—Factories— Wm. Updegralf—Round Top Cement—John W. Stonebraker-—Alms House moved to the Country -—-Improvement of farming methods—Peach cul¬ ture—Hagerstown Fair. pp. 367—5L?. CHAPTER XXV.—Court House and Epis- t copal Church burned—History of St. John’s Par- < ish—Hew Church and Court House—Bartholomew Booth’s school and chapel—The Presbyterian Church—Zion Reformed Church—Dr. Kieifer’s Centennial Sermon—St. John’s Lutheran Church —Rev. Dr. S. W. Owen—John L. Bikle—Church officers—Washington House burned—The Bald¬ win. pp. 379—399. CHAPTER XXVI.—The sale of the Western Maryland road improves the condition of Wash¬ ington Gtmaty-—Canal carried Freight—Road built to Wevertou—Committee went to Baltimore —Incorporates*—Legislature gave authority— Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad—First agent of Western Maryland Company at Hagers¬ town—John Mifflin Hood elected President—Pen Mar Park—Main Line Potomac Valley—Officers of Western Maryland Railroad. pp. 401—407 CHAPTER XXVII.—The convention of 1864—Politics after the war—Dissatisfaction with the Registration law-—Constitution of 1867— Public men in Wasliington County—The men who were elected in 1867—The nestor of the Bar— Hamilton’s work for Reform—Sketch of his ca¬ reer—The Republican party under the leadership of Louis E. McComas—Hilliard and Oswald— Long terms of Court Clerks. pp. 409—417 CHAPTER XXVIII.—Judges; elected in 1882—R. FI. Alvey—A. K. Syester succeeds Wm. Metier-—H. K. d Douglas-—Edward Stake—The Bar of Washington County 30 years ago—Dis¬ tinguished lawyers of the early period. pp. 419—426. CHAPTER XXIX.—Tin: Medical profes¬ sion. J)p. 427—430. CHAPTER XXX.—Newspapers of Wash¬ ington County past and present—County newspa¬ pers and the changes in them—Hagerstown sev¬ enty years ago—Recollections of Edwin Bell— The opening of Prospect street—Incidents .4 men and alfairs in the olden time. pp. 431—14?, CHAPTER XXXI.—Hagerstown gets water works. The Shenandoah Valley Railroad—Rapid increase of the town—The new charter of 1884— Better streets and drainage and better lights— Men who went to the Spanish war—Washington County Free Library—Wm. Xewcomer and Ed¬ ward W. Mealey—The Orphans’ Home—Success¬ ful movement for a ITosnital—Growth of the population of Washington County. pp. 449—458. CHAPTER XXXII.—St. Paul’s Reformed, Clearspring—St. John’s Reformed Congregation, Clearspring—The Evangelical Lutheran, Sharps- burg—United Brethren, St. Paul’s United Breth¬ ren, Hagerstown—Grace United Brethren, Ha¬ gerstown — Clearspring Pastorate, Evangelical Lutheran Synod—-St. Paul’s Lutheran, Clear¬ spring—Jit. Tabor Evangelical Lutheran—Trin¬ ity Reformed, Boonsboro—Christian, Beaver Creek —Zion Lutheran, Williamsport—Salem United Brethren, Keedysville—Catholic Missions—Cath¬ olic Heirarehy in Maryland—St. Peters Catholic Hancock—Christ Reformed, Hagerstown—St. Luke’s Protestant Episcopal Chapel, Brownsville —St. Paul’s Methodist, Hagerstown—lit Moriah charge of the Reformed—Christ’s Reformed, Sharpite%—Mt. Vernon Reformed, Keedysville —Jit. Moriah Congregation—Lutheran, Boons¬ boro—Bethany Congregation of the Church of Christ, Downsville—Mt. Xeho United Brethren, B'oonsboro—St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran, Funk-town—Christ’s Reformed, Eunkstown— Methodist Episcopal, Funkstown—American Meth¬ odist Episcopal, Funkstown—Diunkard, Funks¬ town—St. Matthew’s Evangelical, Beaver Creek— St, Andrew's Episcopal, Clearspring—Salem Luth¬ eran, Bakersville*—United Brethren Churches, Bohrersvdlc—-Lutheran Congregation,Locust Grove —Catholic, Boonsboro—Bethel United Brethren, GhewsviUe—St. Mark’s Lutheran, Hagerstown— The Baptist Chapel, Brownsville—Mt. Carmel United Brethren in Christ—St, Mark’s Evangelic¬ al Lutheran, Rohrersville—St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran, Keedysville—Mt. Tabor United Breth¬ ren, of Cearfoss District—Trinity Evangelical Lutheran, Hagerstown—River Brethren, Ringgold —Union Church, Ringgold—Welty Tunker, Ring- gold—Lehman’s Reformed Mennonite, Ringer’s (hurcl M-ui" United Brethren—Mt. Zion United Evangelical, Cearfoss District—Mennon- ites—Miller’s Mennonite. R<'ill’s Mennonite, Par¬ adise Mennonite, StWitfcrs Mennonite, Clear¬ spring Mennonite Church—First Christian, Ha¬ gerstown—German Baptist Brethren of the eigh¬ teenth century—Manor Beaver Creek, Welsh Run—Marsh German Baptist, Dunker or German Baptist, Antietain Battlefield—Potomac German Baptist—Sharps] ni rg German Baptist, Beaver Creek-—Long Meadows or Rowland’s German Baptist—(Tiewsville Brethren—Broad Fording German Baptist—Welsh Run German Baptist Brethren—Creek Hill German Baptist—German Baptist Brethren, Hagerstown—Brownsville Ger¬ man Baptist Brethren—Brethren Church of Wash¬ ington County—First Brethren, Hagerstown—• Jacob’s Lutheran, Leitersburg—St. James Reform¬ ed, Leitersburg—Protestant Episcopal, Smiths- burg—St. Paul’s Lutheran, Leitersburg—Meth¬ odist, Leitersburg—Trinity Evangelical Lutheran, Smithsburg—United Brethren, Leitersburg— Methodist, Smithsburg—Church of God, Sharps- burg—Beard’s Lutheran Congregatin, Leiters- burg District—St. Paul’s Lutheran, Leitersburg— Church of Christ, Boonsboro—Methodist, Sharps- burg—St. Matthew’s German Lutheran, Ha¬ gerstown—-St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal, Bharpshurg—Salem Reformed, Cearfoss District —Galore d Methodi s t, Sh arpsburg—Mountain 4 iew Cemetery—Presbyterian, Hancock—Metho¬ dist. Hanocck—Episcopal, Hancock—Methodist, Williamsport—Pxnevola Chapel United Brethren in Christ—First Baptist, Hagerstown. l'P* 401-554. APPENDIX.—Attorneys qualified—Physi¬ cians Registered— Governors — Congressmen— State Senators—House of Delegates—Judges— Judges, Orphans’ Court—-HlterilTs—State's At- lorapys—Bounty Commissioners—Clerks of Cir¬ cuit Court—Legist or of Wills—Surveyors. pp. 555—565. CHAPTER XXXIII.—Biographical Sketches. ' pp. 567— CHAPTER I IIE record of events proposed in this narrative embraces a period of only about one hundred and seventy years from the first settlement of white people within the present boundaries of Washington County, to the present time; yet events have been so crowded into this brief era, that it has seen the thirteen colonies of white men battling in the wilds of the New World grow into a mighty nation. It has seen the population of the Ameri¬ can States increase from' less than two millions to forty-five times that number. It has seen a greater development of the prac¬ tical appliances of civilization than was witnessed in the preceding ten centuries. There are men now living within the limits of Washington County who were living when Fulton launched his steam¬ boat in the waters of the Hudson river; who were 10 years of age when iron plows were unknown in the world, who were over 20 years of age when the first train of passenger cars made the trial trip on the Liverpool and Manchester road, who were over 30 when the leading scientists of the age proved that no vessel could carry enough coal to steam across the Atlantic; who had reached mid¬ dle life when the first telegram flashed over the wires. The period of this history has seen terri¬ tory of the European colonies and of the United States increase from a narrow strip lying between the Allegany Mountains on the west to the Atlan¬ tic ocean and from the northern limits of Massa¬ chusetts to the southern limits of Georgia, until it now stretches three thousand miles from ocean to ocean and from St. Lawrence to the Gulf. Washington County has been the scene of many events in this onward march of civilization which, well dpaerve to be held in remembrance. It has been the scene of many a bloody struggle with the original possessors of the soil who have now passed awav~ from its borders leaving only remnants behind for arehiologists to speculate upon. It has sent forth many men who have been conspicuous in the country’s history or have helped to develop and people the far west. It was the scene of one of the mighty battles of the Civil War and in its soil repose the ashes of many thousands who fell on the bloody fields of Antietam and South Mountain. When the first settlement was made in this beautiful valley in the year 1735 or thereabout, the eastern part of the State had been settled by Europeans for over a hundred years and Virginia and Massachusetts for a longer period—and yet the struggle with tbs fierce difficulties in which our ancestors had engaged had been so great that it had taken a century to penetrate seventy-live tliiles from the shores of the Chesapeake into a i alley more fertile and salubrious than any which had been then settled. The splendid valley of the Genesee in Western New York was still a wilder¬ ness in the undisturbed possession of the Oneidas, waiting for a colony from Washington County, which went there more than a half century later. Of the great cities ©£ America only New York, Philadelphia and Boston had any existence, Balti¬ more was not laid out. The site of Washington was still a swamp and a pine forest; those of Chicago and Cincinnati were unbroken solitudes. The great forests which covered the valley of the Ohio had scarcely been entered by the trapper 10 HISTOEY AND BIOGEAPHICAL EECOKD and hunter. The outlying settlements were in constant danger from the incursions of the blood¬ thirsty Indian, and the flying settlers were some¬ times pursued with tomahawk and scalping knife far within the bounds of the well settled country. Once within its history has Washington County suffered such an incursion that every white person within its bounds who escaped the toma¬ hawk fled for protection and safety across the mountain which divided them from civilization. Of the Indians who inhabited this fair valley when the hardy pioneers first built their cabins between its mountains, it is difficult for us who have never heard the war-whoop, or seen them ply the tomahawk in the dead hour of night by the light of burning homes, to form any correct idea. We may well doubt whether the men and women who have had this experience would concede to tne red man the title of “the noble savage.’’ If we may judge by the intense hatred with which the early settlers regarded him, pursued him, and waged a war of extermination against him, we may conclude that they did not regard him as the illus¬ tration of many of the virtues. There can be but little doubt that the red man who now infests the confines of our far Western States is a degenerate descendant of his ancestors; yet it is certain that the Indians most emulated the qualities of the wild animals after which they named themselves —the ferocity of the wolf, the cunning of the fox and the venom of the rattlesnake. "The opinion which many careful and just- minded persons of our time have formed touching the Indian of whom the settlers in the border¬ land then stood in constant dread, is a singular mixture of truth and romance. Time and absence have softened all that is vile in his character and left in full relief all that is good and alluring. We are in no danger of being tomahawked. We are not terrified by his war whoop. An Indian in his war-paint and feathers is now much rarer show than a Bengal tiger or a white bear from the polar sea. Of the fifty millions of human beings scattered over the land, not five millions have ever in their lives looked upon an Indian. We are therefore much more disposed to pity than to hate. But, one hundred years ago, there were to be found, from Cape Ann to Georgia, few men who had not many times in their lives seen num¬ bers of Indians, while thousands could be found scattered through every State, whose cattle had been driven off, and whose homes had been laid in ashes by the braves of the six nations, who had fought with them from behind trees and rocks, and carried the scars of wounds received in hand to hand encounters. “The opinions which such men and women held of the noble red man was, we may be sure, very'different from those current among the pres¬ ent generation, and formed on no better authority than the novels of Cooper, and the lives of such warriors as Eed Jacket and Brant. * * He was essentially a child of nature and his character was precisely such as circumstances made it. His life was one long struggle for food. His daily food depended, not on the fertility of the soil or the abundance of the crops, but on the skill with which he used his bow; on the courage with which he fought, single-handed, the largest and fiercest of beasts; on the quickness with which he tracked, and the cunning with which he outwitted the most timid and keen-scented. His knowledge of the habits of animals surpassed that of Audubon. The shrewd devices with which he snared them would have elicited the applause of Ulysses; the clearness of his vision excelled that of the oldest sailor; the sharpness of his hearing was not equalled by that of the deer. While he underwent the most excruciating torture the inge¬ nuity of his enemies could devise;. while his ears were being lopped off, while his nose was being slit, while pieces of flesh were being cut from his body, and the bleeding wounds, smeared with hot ashes; while his feet were roasting, while his limbs ivere being torn with hot splinters, while the flames leaped high about him, lie shouted his death-song with a steady voice till his tormentors plucked out his tongue or brained him with a tomahawk. Yet this man, whose courage was unquestionable, was given to the dark and crooked ways which are the resort of the cowardly and weak. * * * He was never so happy as when at dead of night, he roused his sleeping enemies with an unearthly yell, and massacred them by the light of their burning homes. Cool and brave men who have heard that whoop, have left us a striking testimony of its nature; how that no number of reptitions could strip it of its terrors; how that, to the very last, at the sound of it the blood curdled, the heart ceased to beat and a strange paralysis seized upon the body.” (Mc- Master’s History of the United States.) The Indians who inhabited our own valley have been described by a writer who made his OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 11 observations at the time of the French and Indian War. “The men are tall, well made and active, not strong, but very dextrous with a rifle-barrelled gun, and their tomahawk, which they will throw with great certainty at any mark and at a great distance. The women are not so tall as the men, but well made and have many children, but had many more before spirits were introduced to them. They paint themselves in an odd manner, red, yellow and black intermixed. And the men have the outer rim of their ears cut, which only hangs by a bit, top and bottom, and have a tuft of hair left at the top of their heads which is dressed with feathers. Their watch coat is their chief clothing, which is a thick blanket thrown all around them, and they wear moccasins instead of shoes, which are deer-sldn thrown around the ankle and foot. Their manner of carrying their infants is odd. They are laid on a board and tied on with broad bandages, with a piece to rest their feet on, and a board over their heads to keep the sun off, and are strung to the women’s backs. These people have no notion of religion, or any sort of superior being, as I take them to be the most ignorant people as to the knowledge of the world and other things. In the day they were in our camp and in the night they go into their own, where they dance and make a most horrible noise.” These “children of nature” had singular apt¬ ness for learning all the most undesirable practices of their civilized neighbors and an equally singular inaptitude for learning anything that it was to their advantage to learn. But civilization puts its worst foot forward. The first whites with whom the red men came in contact were traders who were bent on cheating them, and taking ad¬ vantage of their simplicity, and hunters and trap¬ pers who possessed the vices of civilization without many of its virtues. It was from these that the Indian took his first lessons, and by the time civilized whites, or the missionary reached him he had imbibed a fierce passion for “fire water,” along, it may be, with a vindictive hatred of the white race which had cozened him. An old Cherokee chief informed an officer in the United States service that “he doubted the benefits to the red people of what they had learned from the whites; that before their fathers were acquainted with the whites, the red people needed but little and that little the Great Spirit gave them, the forest supplying them with food and raiment; that before their fathers were acquainted with the while people, the red people never got drunk because they had nothing to make them drunk, arid never committed theft because they had no temptation to do so. It was true, that when par¬ ties were out hunting and one party was unsuc¬ cessful and found the game of the successful party hung :ip, if they needed provision they took it; and this was not stealing—it was the law and the custom of the tribes. If they went to war they dissfccoyed each other’s property. This ISp done to weaken their enemy. Red people never swore because they had no words to express an oath. Red people would not cheat, because they had no temptation to commit fraud—they never told false¬ hoods because they had no temptation to tell lies. And as to religion, you go to your churches, srng loud, pray loud, and make great noise. 'The red people meet once a year, at the feast of new corn, extinguish all their fires and kindle up a new one, the smoke of which ascends to the Great Spirit as a grateful sacrifice. Now what better is your religion than, ours? The white people have taught us to get drunk, to steal, to lie, to cheat and to swear; and if the knowledge of these vices, as you profess to hold them, and punish by your laws, is beneficial to the red people, we are bene- fitted by our acquaintance with you; if notg we are greatly injured by that acquaintance.” In point of fact, for over thirty years the Indians lived at peace with the settlers in the Hagerstown valley and committed no depredations Upon their property other than now and then appropriating to their own use when they were on the war path, cattle and hogs that they encoun¬ tered in .their march. The pioneer settlers of our valley were cut off from civilization by the Blue Ridge Mountains. They were cut off from all the conveniences of life, of which their brethren along the coast, having constant communication with the mother country, were never completely deprived. There was to them in case of need, no hope of effectual and timely help. They were surrounded by the savage red men, and had to struggle with nature for a livelihood. Wild mountain tracts separated them from their kind and kindred, and to the west of them lay the vast and unknown wilds which might have at any time, and did before many years, pour down upon them a destruction compared with which the invasion of Italy from the forests of the Danube was a merciful visitation of Provi¬ dence. The settlers therefore had only themselves 12 HIVI'OKY AND BIOGBAPHIOAL EECOKD and their strong right arms to rely upon, and it made tWfla an independent and hardy race, strong, healthy, ffiOrftl and vigorous, untutored in evil and despising weakness and vice. The everyday com¬ forts and conveniences which their descendants regard as the neces.-aries.ftf life were unknown to them. It is a condition of society which has now dimppoared. There are now no States of tne Union as remote and inaccessible as the valley of the Antietam and Ckffltr>cnol league was in 1135. The settler of that tune and ft r many snenrethfig veal’s lived in houses built without a nail, because there were none fo be had. He felled trees and cut them, of the proper length, notched them bout the ends and built a pen. After a height of seven or eight feet had been reached the end logs were made shorter and shorter until the side logs came together in an apex. A tree carefully selected was split up into boards and with these the roof was covered, being held in their places by heavy logs laid upon them, and the floor was formed of the same roughly made boards, smoothed as much as possible with a broad axe. A hole Was cut for door and chimney place, a rough door was macte and a chimney of stones and clay. The spaces between the logs neie clunked and daubed,’' a ladder was placed in position which gave access? to the loft, or upper story and the residence was enmplHecl and ready for occupancy on the third day. In making the door-way, &e. wooden pins were used Instead of nails. The men who cut the notches and fitted the logs together at the corner of i he hemsp occupied the posts of honor and were called the “corner men.” The building of the house was nof tte work of the owner alone. He called in all his neighbors and when the work was completed, it was the occasion of a feast and frolic which generally lasted severe! days, and was only concluded when the guests and hosts had become exhausted. Along with the house, the furniture was con¬ structed. Holes were bored in the logs at proper ]daces and pins were inserted which supported the shelves upon which utensils were kept. A fork wo- planted In the ground which supported two polrs—the other ends resting between the logs of the side wall. This supported, the bed. Dogs were driven in the sides of thf house; upon these the wardrobe was displayed, and from them the rifle and powder horn were suspended. The din¬ ing table consisted of a large slab smoothed on one side with the broad axe, and supported on four legs, which were wedged into as many auger holes. Of china plates, cups and saucers and silver spoons he had none. Forks had no place in the domestic economy. A few of the wealthiest could boast of pewter plates ancl spoons, but the dinner plate of the average settler was of wood, which was indeed the material which most of his table furniture was made—namely, his bowls, trenchers and nog- ghm China pipes would have been considered very undesirable, because in cutting food on them the hunting knife whpM be dulled. Gourds were more frequently used as drinking vessels. With tea. and coffee he had no acquaintance and his children grew up without ever tasting them. Milk, or water sweetened with maple sugar, washed down his meals of pork or bacon and hom¬ iny or mush. The latter was generally eaten with milk or sweetened water, bear’s oil or gravy. Bacon was only used when there was no supply of hear steak, venison, wild turkey, raccoon or other game. Bread was an uncertain article of food and the settler’s family might not taste it for months. It not unfrequently happened that after p hard year’s work to raise a crop of corn for food for the winter, the settler would find when he came to harvest it in the autumn, that it had been already harvested by the squirrels and rac¬ coons. In that case, his hill of fare for a whole vent was greatly curtailed, and potatoes had to take tin place of bread, hominy and mush. Even if the corn mah secured, the process of converting it into meal was tedious and tiresome. It had to be done by heating it with a pestle in the huge wooden hominy mortars wM h formed a conspicu¬ ous 'article of furniture in every house, or else ground by hand between two rude millstones—a process almost as tedious as beating it with a pes¬ tle. When the corn was not yet hardened, it was sometimes grated- through a home-made grater. The settler’s family had frequently to wait for their breakfast until it could lie procured with his rifle in the woods. The dress of the settler was as primitive ns his dwelling and his furniture. The fashion of it was largely patterned after the attire of the Indian. He wore a hunting shirt, of dorr skin or home made linsey, confined around the waist try a belt. Appended to this shirt was a cap? upon which some ornamentation of a. rude type, was displayed. Breeches or leggins of deer skin, with deer skin moccasins confined to his feet by thongs or “whangs.” completed his attire. Moc¬ casins vere easily made by means of a moccasin OH 1 WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 13 awl and thongs and were the only attainable cov¬ ering for the feet. In dry weather the feet could be kept very comfortable, bat when it was wet the deer-skin instantly became soaked and as a result of constant wet feet in winter the settlers suffered greatly from rheumatism. From the belt were suspended the tomahawk and scalping knife— those weapons of savage warfare which the whites were not slow in adopting—the powder-horn and other articles which might be needed in the field or forest. On his shoulder was carried the trusty rifle, which was the pioneer’s inseparable compan¬ ion, whether he went on a hunting expedition, or went into the field to plow or visited his neighbors. His wife and daughters were dressed in the ‘Tinsey petticoat and bedgown” and their only attempt at ornamentation was a homemade handerchief tied around the neck. They bore their part in the field and garden, besides performing their domestic duties, and had they been able to procure more beautiful garments, there would have been no occasion to wear them. Of shops and shopping they had no experience. The clothing of both men and women was the product of the rude domestic looms, or of the chase. For many years there were no stores in the settlements, and the few necessaries which the settler required beyond those of his own produc¬ tion were brought on pack-horses across the moun¬ tain trail. Of vehicles there were none and had there been any there were no Joads upon which they could be used. Upon pack-horses, then, the furs and peltries were carried to the towns nearer the seacoast—Baltimore after it grew to be a town, being the chief trading post; there they were ex¬ changed for needed merchandise. Later, Flagers- town became an important distributing centre not only for what is now Washington County, but for a large section of the Yalley of Virginia. The principal article of trade which the early . settler had to go across the mountain to procure was salt. This he must have at all hazards, and there was no possible method by which he could produce it. A number of men needing this com¬ modity would associate and form a caravan to make the long and dreary journey to the seacoast. The bags which were to contain the salt were filled with feed for the horses on the journey down, and some of it was left at points along the way where it would be needed for the return trip, much in the same manner as travelers in the Arctic region cache provisions. Each horse was loaded with two bushels of salt. At the earliest period of the settlement it required the price of a good cow and calf fen: purchase a bushel of salt, and when filling the measure no one was allowed to walk heavily across the floor, for fear of shaking the salt, down and getting too much into the meas- ll'imting was a serious occupation for the man of the backwoods, and not merely a pleasant di¬ version. ’For out of the woods he procured a good part of his food and his furs brought him in exchange Ids rifles, his ammunition, his salt and other necessaries. In this fljiturhtt he was eager to be off and was busy for many days before the ttuSBe arrived in. preparing his outfit. In this occupation he became skilful beyond the imagina¬ tion of hunters who had no such material interest in the result of the chase. He studied the habits of animals with the assiduity of the naturalist, and practiced the stalking of the deer with the cunning and adroitness of the Indian himself. Several neighbors, when the time to begin the autumn hunt had finally arrived, would form a little company, and putting their provisions, their Indian meal, blankets and iron pot upon a pack horse, they sallied forth. Entering the forest, they selected the location for the hunting camp. This selection required no small exercise of judg¬ ment. It had to be in a secluded position, secure from the observation of Indians and game. It must be so situated as to be screened from the keen north winds. The hut was made of poles and covered with bark or slabs. The front, towards the south, was left open and the gipsy pot was suspended in front of it. At night the hunters brought in their game and slept with their feet towards the fire. They had to know intimately the habits of the deer and how their movements would be affected by the weather. In stormy weather they expected to find them in a different position from the ground they usually occupied when the weather was fair. They knew the points of the compass, and could guide themselves through the trackless forest by observing the bark of the trees and the moss, which grows more abundantly on the north side of the trunks. While in camp, the hunter rested from his labor on Sunday, but more from superstition than from religious motives. He was impressed with the belief that unless he did so his operations would be attended by ill-luck during the remainder of the week. Superstition was a prominent feature 14 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of tie character of the simple folk. If an unfor¬ tunate person was bitten by a rattlesnake or a copper snake the reptile must be killed at all hazards, and was cut In sections about two inches long and laid on the wound to draw out the poison. The pieces were then gathered up and burned. Afterwards an application of boiled chestnut leaves was mad#, All remedies failed, however, when the rattlesnake got his fangs into any blood vessel which could quickly disseminate the poison throughout the body. It may be well imagined that Casualties from rattlesnake bites were of frequent occurrence. Horses and cattle were a)» of ten killed by snates. Hogs were more dangerous to the snakes than the snakes to the hogs. Charms and incantations were used in the treatment of many diseases, and candor compels us to admit that descendants of these people some¬ times use them to this day. There were remedies in the garden and forest and field for all manner of diseases and the use of most of them was learned from the Indians. IValnnt bark stripped upwards was used for one purpose and the same bark strip¬ ped from the tree by pulling it downwards was used M produce an entirely different result. The children suffered greatly from croup, which was called '‘bold hives” and they were treated with garlic or onion juice. Sweating was greatly prac¬ ticed and bleeding would have been more fre¬ quently resorted to bad it .not been that there was no Dr. San Grado to administer this popular specific for all the ills to which flesh is heir. A striking picture of the domestic life of the pioneerA- j§ given us by Mr. Samuel Kercheval who was the son of a pioneer and grew up just across the Potomac river from us, amidst the -cones he has described. The picture of the wed¬ ding which he gives bears every impress of truth and no one can doubt its accuracy. “For a loner time after the first settlement of this Country,” writes Mr. Kercheval, “'the in¬ habitants in general married very young. There was no distinction of rank and very little of for¬ tune. On these tccoirnts the first impression of love resulted in marriage, and a family establish¬ ment eost but a little labor and nothing else.” A description of a wedding from beginning to end, will serve to show the manners of our forefathers, and mark the grade of our civilization, which has succeeded fio their rude state of society in the course of a few years. At an early period ‘The practice of celebrating the marriage at the house of a bride began, and it should seem with great propriety. She also has the choice of the priest to perform the ceremony. In the first years of the settlement of this County a wedding en¬ gaged the attention of a whole neighborhood, the frolic was eagerly anticipated by both old and young. This, is not to be wondered at when it is told that a wedding was almost the only gathering which was not accompanied with the labor of reaping, log-rolling, building a cabin, or planning some scout or campaign. On the morning of the wedding day, the groom and hi# attendants assembled at the house of his fath¬ er; for the purpose of reaching the mansion of bis bride by noon, which was the usual time for celebrating the nuptials, and which for certain must take place before dinner. Let the reader imagine an assemblage of people, without a store, tailor or mantuanmker, within an hundred miles, and an assemblage of horses, without a blacksmith or saddler within an equal distance. The gentle¬ men dressed in shoepacks, moccasons, leather breeches, leggins, and linsey hunting shirts, all home made. 'The ladies dressed in linsey petti¬ coats and linsey or linen bed-gowns, coarse shoes, stockings, handkerchiefs, and buckskin gloves, if any ; if there were any buckles, rings, buttons or ruffles, they were relics of old times, family pieces from parents or grand-parents. The horses were caparisoned with old saddles, bridles or halters, and pack-saddles, with a bag or blanket thrown over them—* rope or string as often constituted the girth as a piece of leather. “The march in double file, was often inter¬ rupted by the narrowness and obstructions' of our horse paths, as they were called, for we had no roads. These difficulties were often increased, sometimes by the good, and sometimes by the ill will of neighbors; bv felling trees and tying grape , vines across the way. Sometimes an ambuscade was formed by the wayside, and an unexpected discharge of several guns took place, so as to cover the wedding company with smoke. Let the reader imagine the scene that followed this discharge— the sudden spring of the horses, the shrieks of the girls, and the .chivalric bustle of their partners to save them from falling. Sometimes, in spite of all that could be done to prevent it, some were thrown to the ground; if a wrist, elbow, or ankle happened to be sprained, it was tied with a handkerchief, and little more was thought or said about it. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 15 “Another ceremony took place before tlie party reached the house of the bride, after the practice of making whiskey began, which was at alt early period. When the party was about a mile from the place of its destination, two young men would single out to run for the bottle, the worse the path, the more logs, brush and deep hollows, the better, as these obstacles afforded an onuor- tunity for the greater display of intrepidity and horsemanship. The English fox chase, in point sgS clanger to the riders and their horses, was noth¬ ing to this race for the bottle. The start was an¬ nounced by an Indian yell, when logs, brush, mud- holes, hill and glen, were speedily passed by the rival ponies. The bottle was always filled for the occasion, so that there was no use for the judges for the first who reached the door was handed the prize and returned in triumph to the company an¬ nouncing his victory over his rival by a shrill whoop. “On approaching them he gave the bottle to the groom and his attendants at the head of the troop and then to each pair in succession, to the rear of the line, giving each a dram, and then putting the bottle in the bosom of his hunting shirt, he took his station in the company. The ceremony of the marriage preceded the dinner, which was a substantial backwoods feast of beef, pork, fowls and some times venison and bear meat, roasted and boiled, with plenty of potatoes, cab¬ bage and other vegetables. During the dinner the greatest hilarity always prevailed, although the table might be a large slab of timber, hewed out with a broad-axe, supported by four sticks set in augur holes, and the furniture some old pewter dishes and plates, wooden bowls and trenchers. A few pewter spoons, much battered, about the edges, were to be seen at some tables; the rest were made of horns. If knives were scarce, the deficiency was made up by the scalping knives, which were carried in sheaths suspended to the belt of the hunting shirt. After dinner the dan¬ cing commenced and generally lasted until the next morning. The figures of the dance were three and four handed reels or square sets and jigs. The commencement was always a square four, which was followed by what was called jigging it off, that is, two of the four would single out for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couples. The jigs were often accompanied by what was call¬ ed cutting out, that is, when any of the parties became tired of the dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some of the company, with¬ out any interruption of the dance; in this way a dance was often continued until the musician was heartily tired of his situation. “Towards the latter part of the night, if any of the company through weariness attempted to con¬ ceal themselves for the purpose of sleeping, they were hunted up, paraded on the floor and the fiddler ordered to play “Hang out till Morning.” About nine or ten o’clock a deputation of young ladies stole off the bride and put her to bed. In doing this, it frequently happened that they had to ascend a ladder instead of a pair of stairs, leading from the dining and ball room to the loft, the floor of which was made of fclap boards lying loose without nails. This ascent, one might think, would put the bride and her attendants to the blush; but as the foot of the ladder was commonly behind the door, which was purposely open for the occasion, and its rounds at the inner ends were well hung with hunting shirts, petti¬ coats and other articles of clothing, the candles being on the opposite side of the house, the exit of the bride was noticed but by a few. This done, a deputation of young men in like manner stole off the groom and'placed him snugly by the side of his bride. The dance still continued, and if seats happened to be scarce, which was often the case, every young man, when not engaged in the dance, was obliged to offer his lap as a seat for one of the girls, and the offer was sure to be accepted. In the midst of this hilarity the bride and groom were' not forgotten. Pretty late in the night.some one would remind the company that The new couple might stand in need of some refreshment. Black Betty, which was the name of the bottle, was called for and sent up the ladder. But sometimes Black Betty did not go alone. I have many times seen as much bread, beef, pork and cabbage sent along with her as would afford a good meal for half a dozen hungry men. The young couple were compelled to eat more or less of whatever was offered them. “In the course of the festivity, if anyone want¬ ed to help himself to a dram and the young couple to a toast, he would call out, ‘Where is Black Betty? I want to kiss her sweet lips.’ Black Betty was soon handed to him, when, hold¬ ing her up in his right hand he would say, ‘Here’s health to the groom, not forgetting myself, and here’s to the bride, thumping luck and big children.’ This, so far from being taken amiss, 16 11 i STOUT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD was considered as an expression of a very proper and friendly wish; for big children, especially sons, vrdr® of great importance as we were few in number and engaged in perpetual hostility with the Indians, the end of which no one could foresee. Indeed, many of them seemed to supjoose that war was the natural state of man, and therefore did not anticipate any conclusion of it; every big son was therefore considered as a young soldier. But to return. It often happened that some neigh¬ bors or relations, not being asked to the wedding, took offense and the mode of revenge adopted by them on such occasions was that of cutting off the manes, foretops and tails of the horses of the wedding company. *'0:i returning to the is'.fare, the order of pro¬ cession and the race for Black Betty was the same as before. The feasting and dancing often lasted several days. at. the end of which the ysdtole com¬ pany wSrh so exhausted by loss of sleep,; that sev¬ eral days wt were, requisite to fit them to re- t urn to their ordinary labors. "At these weddings the groomsmen wore em¬ broidered white aprons and it was a part of their duty to serve up the wedding dinner and to protect the Inkle from having her slice stolen from her foot while she was at dinner. If they failed, and the shoe was stolen, they had to pay a penalty for its redemption. This penalty was ordinarily a bottle of wine, and until the shoe Was restored the bride was not permitted to dance. The same author already quoted gives this account of one of the wedding frolics: ‘When the bride and groom were bedded, the young people were admit¬ ted into the room. A stocking, rolled into a bail, was given to the young females, who, one after the other would go to the foot of the bed, stand with, their backs towards it and throw the stocking over their shoulders at the bride’s head; and the first that succeeded in touching her cap or head was the first to: be married. The young men then threw the stocking at the groom’s head, in like manner with the like motive. Hence the utmost eagerness and dexterity were used in throwing the stocking, Tliis practice, as well as that of stealing the bride’s shoe, was common to all the Ger¬ mans.’ ” Hush wore the simple and hardy folk by whom onr beautiful valley was first peopled, and while for many years religion was almost a stranger to them, and children grew to manhood without gfying the inside of a Christian place of worship, they were a moral and just people. They dealt out rude justice among theinselves before the regular forms of law were known among them, and it was proved that a healthy public sentiment which found ready and forcible expression when demanded* was more effectual in restraining vice than a regularly constituted constabulary. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 17 CHAPTER II HE pioneer who first ascended to the crest of South Mountain and cast his eyes over the valley stretching away to the foot of North Mountain, which bounds the landscape in front of him, viewed a picture to which no descriptive pen could do justice. l,f he had climbed up the eastern slope of the South Mountain, above the present site of Wolfsville, and through the gap until he came out at the Black Rocks, a spot, which in its romantic grandeur of ruggedness, has undergone no sort of change since that hour, he must have been indeed insensible if he did not pause here, spell-bound at the scene which presented itself to his eyes. If it appeared less beautiful to him than the promised land did to Moses as he viewed its vine clad hills and fertile valleys and streams of running water from the summit of Nebo, it was because he had not for forty years been traveling through hot sands and naked rocks. He stood upon the summit of a cliff one hun¬ dred feet down perpendicular; and from the base of the cliff stretched a steep declivity, bearing no vegetation, because among the huge rocks piled and strewn and hurled against each other in some volcanic upheaval, there is no earth in which it can take root. To his right hand and to his left stretched away mountaintop after mountaintop covered with trees of great variety and form, and reaching north and south, to the limits- of vision. Away to the west stretched a beautiful plain —the valley of the Antietam and the Conococheague, covered with waving grass six feet in height. Here and there the course of a stream was marked by trees which fringed each bank. He could have seen columns of blue smoke ascending from clumps of trees which surrounded gushing limestone springs, marking the location of an Indian village. He might have seen, away off in the distance, where it breaks through the North Mountain on its w r ay to the; sea, a small portion of the Potomac or “Gohongoruton” river shimmering in the sun like molten silver. The awful silence around him would be broken only by the Cry of the eagle over his head at the howl of the wolf, or perhaps the whoop of a savage, resting in a supposed secure possession of this beautiful hunting ground, un¬ mindful of the wave of humanity which was slowly but surely coming upon him to wipe put almost the remembrance of his name and nation from the face of the country. He might have heard with prophetic ear ‘‘The first low wash of waves, where soon Shall roll a human seaA Stipli was the valley of which Hagerstown is now the centre, in the early years of the eighteenth century. The mountains and the rugged western part of Washington County were covered with tim¬ ber but the main valley was Ipfbly without trees, except along the water courses. We meet with fre¬ quent references, in contemporary Writings, to the high grass which covered the country and the present state of the forest is ample proof of this fact. For it is rarely that an oal$ is seen in our forests, which are composed principally of oak and hickory, which has any appearance of being over a hundred years old. Speaking of the land just across the river from us in the valley of Virginia, a continuation of our own valley, Samuel Iverche- val says that “at this period (1703, when the first 18 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD settlement was made in the locals of which he was writing) timber was so scarce that settlers were compelled to cut small saplings to enclose their fields. The prairie produced grass five or six feet high and even our mountains and hills were covered with the sustenance of quadrupeds of every species. The pea vine grew abundantly on the hills and mountain lands, than which no species of vegetable production afforded finer and richer, pasturage.” This information Mr. lverche- val obtained from some of the original settlers. Washington County is in general outline not unlike the State of Maryland. Its eastern bound¬ ary is the crest of the South Mountain, belonging to the Blue Ridge Range, which extends fron'i Pennsylvania to Virginia, a distance of about thirty miles and separates Washington from Pred- erick County. Its northern boundary is Mason and Dixon’s line, for a distance of forty-six miles. Its southern boundary line is the southern margin of the Potomac river, which separates it from Virginia and West Virginia and on the west it is separated from Allegany County. Maryland, by Sidling Hill Creek. The main body of the Countjq known as Hagerstown Valley or a portion of Cumberland Valley, a northern continuation of the Valley of Virginia, is embraced between the North and South Mountains. The former crosses the County nearly parallel with South Mountain about fifteen miles distant. This valley is drained on the east side by the Antietam Creek, flowing a few miles from the base of South Mountain into the Poto¬ mac; towards the west, the valley is drained by the larger stream known as the Conocoheague. The soil of nearly the whole of this valley is lime¬ stone of the best and most productive character. In the South-eastern portion of the County, there is a spur of the mountain known as Elk Ridge, running parallel with South Mountain a few miles distant from it and enclosing, a valley known as Pleasant 'Valley, which has a freestone soil and is drained by Israel Creek. The southern extremity of Elk Ridge is the famous Maryland Heights, overlooking Harper’s Perry. Beyond the North Mountain are a series of ridges rising in undula¬ tions, enclosing "between them hero and there fer¬ tile valleys. The soil of the western portion of the County in the mountainous region, however, is mainly unproductive. Some of these ridges are known as East Ridge. Blair’s Valley Mountain, Bare Pond, Forest Mountain, Haith Stone Moun¬ tain, Sidling Hill and Tonoloway Hill. In -the main valley the scenery is that of a rich agricul¬ tural country displaying fertile fields, well culti¬ vated farms, large barns and comfortable farm houses, with landscapes of magnificent beauty, having always the blue mountains for a back¬ ground. The scenery of the County west of Olearspring is of romantic beauty. There is ridge after ridge, following each other like the waves iif an ocean, covered with the deep verdue of the evergreens, and separated by narrow gorges and valleys, each with, a rippling stream of crystal water breaking over its mossy stones and pebbly bottoms, and embowered amid trees of every va¬ riety of grace and beauty. The great industry of this magnificent County is agriculture, and the staple crops are, wheat and Indian corn. As a wheat growing county it ranks among the first in the Union. Oats, rye and barley are also grown, whilst the aggregate value of the clover seed, hay and poultry, and dairy products is enormous. Nearly all the fruits of the temperate zone are produced; apples in every variety and in vast quan¬ tity, grapes, small fruit and peaches. The last named fruit is grown in great perfection at a certain elevation on the western slope of South Mountain, where it seems to escape the damage from frost; and the cultivation of it m this region has .assumed large proportions. The mineral wealth consists of deposits of iron ore. Some traces of copper and antimony have been discovered in South Mountain, and of lignite in North Mountain. Cement of splendid qualify Is produced in the western part of the County, near Hancock, and in the southern part, opposite Shepherdstown. The principal manufac¬ tures are centered in Hagerstown. Here are made automobiles, paper, gloves, furniture, doors and sash, spokes and rims, iron tubes, hosiery, silk ribbons and underwear, and cigars. Transporta¬ tion facilities are ample. Nine splendid turn¬ pikes, penetrating to every district of the County, centre in Hagerstown. Railroads in seven differ¬ ent directions, besides electric roads to Williams¬ port and Frederick- and into Pennsylvania afford competing lines to every important point in the County, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal meanders along the whole southwestern border for a distance of nearly a hundred miles affording an outle| to tidewater at the National Capital. The principal towns are Hagerstown, the County seat, Boonshoro, Williamsport, Clearspring, Hancock, OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 19 Sharpsburg, Keedys^fUs, Smithsburg and Cave- town. This county was a magnificent hunting ground for the Indians, who seem to have fought for it among themselves, and invaded it from the North and South just as the contending armies of the North and South did many years later. Of these contests there are only traditions. The Delawares from the North met here the Catawbas from the South, and the battles between the two were exceedingly sanguinary. Some of these bat¬ tles took place just about the time when the white settlers first began to appear upon the scene. The settlers were upon terms of friendship with the Indians, and until a later period were entirely unmolested by them. About the year 173(5, a bloody battle took place between these two hostile tribes at the mouth of the Antietam. At this point the Delawares, returning from, one of their forays to the country of the Catawbas were overta¬ ken by the latter. In the desperate battle which en¬ sued every Delaware brave, with a single exception, had been killed and scalped and every Catawba warrior save one, had one or -more scalps to exhibit after the victory. Like tha Spartan who brought home the news of Thermopylae, this scalpless brave could not rest under the disgrace, and s6 he pur¬ sued the surviving and fugitive Delaware with the instinct and pertinacity of a blood hound for fully one hundred miles. The unfortunate fugi¬ tive was overtaken,slaughtered and scalped on the banks of the Susquehanna; the fair fame of the Catawba was retrieved, and he could return to his home. There is a story of the early settlers connected with 'this bloody battle; whether founded on fact, or a mere product of the imagination, I cannot tell. The date of the battle given in this narra¬ tive is 1736. At that time, according to the tra¬ dition, there lived upon “Red Hill,” an eminence near the Antietam about two miles from the scene of the battle and a short distance from Sharpsburg, a settler who was called Orlando, with his wife, Lauretta, a French woman, and their two children, a boy, Thomas, and a girl, Roseline. Hearing the sounds of the battle between the Delawares and Catawbas, the family fled to the side of South Mountain and there remained several clays and nights, but partially protected from a severe storm by an overhanging rock. Whilst in this refuge a neighboring settler brought the news that it would be safe to return to their cabin. They did so, and found it undis¬ turbed. It was not long before the boy, Thomas, was taken sick with a fever brought on by the exposure in the mountain and died. The mother, who had been delicately reared, soon followed her son to the grave and the health of the daughter was greatly impaired. In her grief and desolation she sought the society of the family of Peter Powles, living near the Belinda spring not far distant and in freguently passing it drank the waters and her health was restored. This was the first discovery of the medicinal property of that spring, which afterward became popular. But her restored health was not long enjoyed in peace. A Catawba chief fell in love with her and demanded her of Orlando for his wife. The proposal was rejected with horror but the savage was not to be defeated in his design. He fre¬ quently prowled around the cabin awaiting his opportunity, until one night he shot the father through an open window and bore off the unfortu¬ nate Rosaline to his wigwam. No news of her was ever afterwards received by her friends. On the western side of the mouth of the Conococheague creek, after the settlement of Con- ococheague had begun, another bloody conflict took place between the Catawbas and Delawares, and the Delawares were again defeated. The surviv¬ ing warrior this time took refuge in the house of Mr. Charles Friend, who lived very near the scene of the battle, and was by him protected from the ferocity of his pursuers. Just on the outskirts of Williamsport there was within the memory of many now living an Indian graveyard, which probably contained the bones of those who fell in that battle. Mr. John Tomlinson whose father lived on the Potomac, seven miles below ffip mouth of the Conococheague, informed Mr. Kerclieval that he remembered when a child seven or eight yea*S of age, seeing a party of Delawares pass his father’s house, with a female Catawba nrisoner, who had an infant child in her arms, and that it was said they intended to sacrifice her when they reached their towns. There are remains of Indian settlements in various parts of the County. Around the great spring at Fountain Rock, the College of St. James, arrow heads and stone pipes and toma¬ hawks have been very abundant, and a few years ago the author saw Indian skeletons exhumed in digging a cistern not far from this place. For many miles along the Potomac, Indian relics are 20 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD abundant and in the neighborhood of Sharpsburg many mounds have been discovered. Some of these have: been examined and found to contain bones, pottery and implements. It is probable that a number of years before any regular, permanent settlement was made with¬ in the present limite of this County, the mountain bad been crossed by hunters and trappers in quest of peltries and furs. The long grass afforded excellent pasturage for herds of deer, and the bears grew fat on the exuberant growth of those things the}’ most esteemed for food. Wild turkeys were in great abundance, while the skulking wolf preyed upon anything he could overcome. The rocks and mountains Were a refuge for the cat o’mounts and panthers, while the smaller folk, such as the opossum, the rabbit, the raccoon and squirrel, fairly swarmed. The two last -were in such abundance that they frequently destroyed the settler's entire crop of Indian corn, leaving him without bread for a winter—a hardship which no one who has not experienced it can properly esti¬ mate. and for which he was only partially com¬ pensated by an abundant crop of potatoes. Some of the Settlers came in the soring, bringing their families and no sufficient supply of either bread or vegetables, and they had to do without these necessaries of life until a crop could mature. In this case the sufferings of the family, and espec¬ ially of the children, were very great. One who as a child had been deprived under these circum¬ stances of all vegetable food for six weeks, wrote, “the lean venison and the breast of the wild turkeys, we were taught to call bread and the flesh of the bear was denominated meat.” This artifice did not succeed very well; for after living in this way some time, we became sickly, the stomach seeming to be always empty and tormented with a sense of hunger. I remember how narrowly the children watched the growth of the potato tops, pumpkins and squash vines, hoping from day to day to get something to answer in the place of bread. How delicious was the taste of the young potatoes when we got them ! What a jubilee when we were permitted to pull the young corn iot roasting ears! Still more so when it had acquired sufficient hardness to be made into .Jonny cakes by the aid of a tin grater. We then became healthy, vigorous and contented with our situation, poor as it was.” * In lf'>2 the attention of Charles, Lord Bal¬ timore, had been directed to our valley and on the 2nd of March of that year he published the follow¬ ing advertisement offering inducements to settlers: “We being desirous to increase the number of honest people within our province of Maryland and willing to give suitable encouragement to such to come and reside therein, do offer the fol¬ lowing Lcrms: “1st. That any person having a family, who shall within three years come and actually settle, with his or her family, on any of the back lands on the northern or western boundaries of our said province, not already taken up, between the rivers Potomack and Susquehanna, where, we are informed, there are several large bodies of fertile lands, fit for tillage, which may be seen without any expense, two hundred acres of said lands, in fee-simple, without paying any part of the forty shillings sterling, for every hundred acres, pay- aide to us by the conditions of plantations, and without paying any quit rents in three years after the first settlement, and then paying four shill¬ ings sterling for every hundred acres to us, or our heirs, for every year after the expiration of the said three years. “2nd. To allow to each single person, male or female not above the age of thirty, and not under fifteen, one hundred acres of the said lands, upon the same terms as mentioned in the preced-^ ing article. “’3rd. That we will concur in any reasonable method that shall be proposed, for the ease of such new-comers, in the payment of their taxes for some years and we doe assure all such that they shall he as well secured in their liberty and prop¬ erl}', in Maryland, as any of his Majesty’s sub¬ jects in any part of the British plantations, in America, without exception; and to the end all persons desirous to come into and reside in Mary¬ land, may he assured that these terms will be justly and punctually performed on our part. We have hereunto set our band and seal at arms.’’ etc. The class of people who were attracted to this valley by this advertisement, and still more by the riel mess of the soil and the salubrity of the air when they became known, were largely from Ger¬ many ; but a great many of the largest land grants were to men of English descent from the eastern nan of the State who were for many years the ruling- people. But gradually their large estates became subdivided among their tenants and there are some instances of these men who spent their OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 21 splendid estates and died poor. Many of our settlers came from Pennsylvania—some of them were .Scotch-1 risk and some German. A writer, in TL3(i. speaks of Conococheague as an Irish settlement and it is not improbable that the people •who first built a block house and established a trading post at the mouth of the Conococheague wi*®6. of that sturdy race of Scotch-Irish which “won the West” and contributed in no small degree to the triumph of the American arms in the war of Independence. The denial of religious freedom to the Presbyterians of Ulster in 1719 started the exodus from Ireland of the bravest and best subjects of the British crown. A steady stream of emigration to America set in, and con¬ tinued for twenty-live years. Many of them land¬ ed at Philadelphia, and found their way to our valley. Many of them subsequently left it to take up their residence in the Kentucky wilderness, or among the dense and gloomy forests which covered the great valley of the Ohio. But many remained here, and in 177(1 eagerly took up arms against their unnatural mother country which had cast them off. TSS descendants of many of them are among us now, and preserve the magnificent traits of character which distinguished their fore¬ fathers. A considerable number of “Redemptioners” or Indented Servants also became citizens of the valley. Eedemptioners were assisted emigrants— persons who wished to find a home in the colonies but not having sufficient money to pay their pas¬ sage across the ocean sold themselves for a term of years for the necessary amount. The captain of the ship brought them over and then sold them for a sufficient sum to pay the passage. The practice was so extensively engaged in that it was regulated by an Act of Assembly passed in 1715, A servant being under fifteen years of age had to seiwe until he was twenty-two, if between fifteen and eighteen, seven years, if between eighteen and twenty-tv o, six years and five years if above twen¬ ty-five years of age. Usually their treatment was mild and they became freemen upon the expiration of the term of servitude ; many of them, as well as of the convicts, became highly respected citi¬ zens, and the progenitors of influential families; and a few are mentioned as having become dis¬ tinguished. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was a Redemptioner. A much less desirable class of immigrants were the convicts. Thousands of the inmates of British prisons were transported to America and no less than three or four thousand found their way into Maryland each year. We cannot doubt that many of these were brought to our County. The people of the colony indeed protested loudly against this invasion and complained that it would introduce all the dreadful diseases then prevailing in the jails of England among our people. But they were powerless to remedy the evil. Pennsyl¬ vania did put a poll tax or tariff upon such im¬ portations and the Maryland Assembly attempted to do the same, but were met by an act of Parliament which authorized the business, and the Attorney General, afterwards Lord Mansfield, gave an opinion that the Colonial Assembly had no right to levy such a tax. The Colonial Assem¬ bly, however, persisted in collecting it, but it did not prevent the ffvil. Private parties made con¬ tracts with the government to ship these convicts to America and sell them for the benefit of the shippers. These transactions were a source of great profit to those engaged in them. The fn?s|: settlement made in this County was ""Conococheague,” a name which is spelled in con¬ temporary documents and books in many entirely different and original ways., Governor Sharpe wrote If: “Conogsgee” at one time and “Conego- cliegh” at another. In the Maryland Gazette it was generally printed as at present. General Brad- dock spelled- it “Connogogee” and later in the same week “Conogogee,” In fact, every writer spelled it to suit his own views and whenever he had another occasion to write the word forgot how he had spelled it the last time. The name and place were the occasion of a considerable amount of pleasantry in the United States Congress, as we shall see farther on. The settlement itself was situated on the Potomac, or Cohongoruton, as the Indians called that river above the mouth of the Shenandoah, at the mouth of Conococheague creek just about where the present town of Williamsport stands, or possibly on the opposite side of the creek. The first resident of the settlement who acquired a legal or documentary title to his land was Charles Friend, who in 1739 obtained a grant from the proprietor of 260 acres which ho called “Sweed’s Delight.” It is situated on the west side of the Conococheague almost down to its mouth. Two years later, he was granted an addi¬ tional tract of 25 acres adjoining “Sweed’s De¬ light” which he called “Dear Bargain.” It is likely that Friend had lived at this place five or HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD six years before he received the deed for it. The descendants of this pioneer are still living in this county, a well known and highly respected family. Conococheague soon became important as being the outpost of civilization in the province. A block house was built here, and it became a trading post of considerable importance. A mill was erected at an early date, and before many years regular communication was established and maintained with Frederick town, with which place it carried on trade. As early as II03 supplies and provisions were dispatched eastward from this post. Later, as we shall see, it became more important as the terminus of the PoLomac river boats plying between it and tidewater at George¬ town. A large magazine of stores was gathered here for General Bradcloek’s army, and remained after his defeat. What finally Became of it is not known, but it is not unlikely that when the inhab¬ itants of the settlement fled across the mountains, this supply fell, into the hands of the Indians. It may well be supposed that there was a consider¬ able settlement at this point before any of the settlers took steps to secure legal titles to the lands they claimed. In the year 1139, Jeremiah Jack obtained a grant for one hundred and seventy-five acres near “Sweed's Delight” which he called 'Jack's Bottom/ Before many years all the lands in this neighbor¬ hood had been claimed and taken up, until in ItiSO Jacob Friend seems to have gotten the last, which he significantly called “None Left.” This tract contained only three acres and a quarter. The second settlement of any consequence was “Long Meadows?"--the settlement which took its name from the grant of 500 acres made to Thomas Cressap in 1739. This settlement was situated about three or four miles from Hagerstown, on the Leitersburg road, and being a most beautiful and fertile country, was speed: iv taken up—part of it, as elsewhere in the County, probably by land grabbers or speculators. Daniel Dulany, a non-resident, obtained in. tfSl a grant adjoining Cressap’s tract for 2131 acres which he called “Long Meadows Enlarged.” The same name was given to a tract of 4163 acres granted to Henry Bouquet in 1765. This Henry Bouquet never lived in this County. The centre of his tract is the farm for so many years owned by Mr. Frederick Wilms and tin 1 old house which he occupied and which is still standing, is one of the oldest and quaintest m the County. The owner of this great tract was a remark¬ able character in his time. He was born in 1719 at Rolle, a small town on the northern bank of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. In 1736, he entered the military service of the Dutch Republic. Short¬ ly afterwards he served as a petty officer in the army of the King of Sardinia and distinguished himself in the war with France. In 1756, the year after Braddock’s defeat, Henry Bouquet sailed for America, and obtained a commission as colonel in the Royal service. His command was composed of the Swiss settlers of our valley and the Cum¬ berland Valley, of Pennsylvania, most of whom could not understand the English language. He was conspicuous in the campaigns around Eort Dtiquesne and he opened the road and established the route through Western Pennsylvania to Pitts¬ burg- In his expedition against the Indians in 1764 Col. Bouquet had in his command two companies of Maryland troops, mostly volunteers from Wash¬ ington County. After the expedition the conduct of these troops was highly commended by their Colonel. One of the companies was officered by Captain, Wm. M. McClellan; Lieutenants, John Earl and James Dougherty; Ensigns, David Blair, John Moran, Edmund Moran; Sergeants, Joseph Hopewell and Henry Graybill. The officers of the other Maryland Company were: Captain, John Wolgomott; Lieutenant, Matthew Nicholas and Ensign John Blair. Eor his distinguished ser¬ vices in the Pontiac war, Col. Bouquet received a vote of thanks from the Colonial Assemblies of Virginia and Pennsylvania. After peace was es¬ tablished Bouquet determined to settle down in the Colonies and at that time he was naturalized in Pefinfijjflma, having two years previously obtained a grant of “Long Meadows Enlarged” from Lord Baltimore above referred to. The same year he received from the King a commission as Brigadier General and was ordered to Pensa¬ cola, wh*n immediately upon his arrival he was smitten with yellow fever and died. Frederick Iloldumand, his executor, was directed in lus wiil to sell “Long Meadows Enlarged.” This great tract of magnificent land contained in 1765 a saw mill, tan yard and a number of houses. (>n.e of the oldi «t land grants in the County was “(how's Farm” of 5000 acres granted to Samuel Chew, Jr., in 1763. “Chew’s Farm” or “Chew’s Manor/’ as it is frequently called, is in the south¬ ern part of the County lying near Mount Moriah OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 23 Church and Bakersville. As it was first granted, the lines ran across the river and into Virginia and so there was a re-survey. Connected with this grant is a tradition that the Proprietary Gov¬ ernor, (it must have been Ogle, for he was Gover¬ nor at that time), was exploring this valley. The Governor and his party were overtaken by night near the house of’ Samuel Chew, and asked for hospitality. Mr. Chew received them courteously, but informed the party that his household was rather disarranged and they must make due allow¬ ances. During the night, the host became the father of a fine pair of twins who afterwards received the names of Samuel Chew and Bennett Chew. Shortly after the Governor returned to Annapolis, the patent deed for i&f thousand acres of land for Samuel Chew, Jr., one of the twins, was received. One of the oldest buildings now in Washington County, is a substantial stone dwelling house in the same settlement with General Bouquet’s prop¬ erty—the “Long Meadows” settlement. This stretch of country is the choicest portion of our valley and was eagerly taken up by settlers and speculators before any other settlements were made other than Conoeocheague. The building referred to is now owned by Daniel Scheller and stands upon a part of a tract known as “The I’esurvey on Downin’s Lot,” which was owned for many years by William Eagan. The house was erected in 1750 by J. S. Downin, and a stone in the gable end bears this date and the initials of Downin. At one side of the chimney place an enclosed chamber was discovered which has been supposed to have been intended as a hiding place from Indians. But at the instance of the author it was carefully examined .and then it was discov¬ ered that the fire place had been too enormously large for modern ideas and a wall had been built up to make it smaller. It is not far from this house that the remains of Cressap’s Fort are still co be found. The first town regularly laid out into lots in Washington County was Hagerstown, in Decem¬ ber If, 1739, Jonathan Hager obtained a patent for two hundred acres of land which he named “Hager’s Choice.” One of the boundary lines of this tract is described as beginning at “a bounded white oak standing on the side of a hill within fifty yards of said Hager’s dwelling-house.” This shows that Hager was residing near the present site of Hagerstown at that early date and that the setttoif'iit at Hagelsliiwii was nearly AS early as those at Conoeocheague and Long Meauows. In 175:3,,, he obtained a patent for another tract which he called “Hager’s Delight” This latter tract contained 1780 acres. In 1762 the Proprietary gave him two other grants, one of a hundred and eighteen acres, which lie called “Stony Batter,” and another for twenty-four acres, which he called “Exchange.” In 1763 he obtained three more grants, “Brightwell’s Choice,” “Addition to Stony Batter" and “Found it Out,” containing respect¬ ively fifty, eighty and sixty-two acres. In 1765 he obtained “New Work," a tract of seven hundred and fourteen acres. He thus became possessed of two thousand four hundred and eighty-eight acres of magnificent land. The main body of the town is situated on “New Work.” Hager’s dwelling was about two miles from the town on the Mercersburg road, on the farm recently owned by Henry Zeller. It was a large log house, a fine building in those days. There were two large log pens far enough apart to constitute a hall. Near the house was a burial vault, and in it the body of Hager was laid after his tragic death, but it was afterwards removed to the graveyard of Zion Church, in Hagerstown, where his ashes now lie. The Southwestern portion of Hagerstown is upon “The Land of Prospect” and was added to the town by Japslj Rohrer who obtained the grant. This Rohrer na* the progenitor of a large and in¬ fluential family in this County. At the period of Hager’s settlement in the valley almost the whole country was unoccupied and he probably had his choice. It is: iXaisonahle, therefore, to suppose that there was some especial attraction to the par¬ ticular spot which he made his home—either in the character of soil, the beautiful prospect or the neighl lorhood of several gushing springs. It is probable that this latter consideration influenced most of the early settlers. Of this important set¬ tlement, which developed into the present beauti¬ ful town, the seat of the Onunty, and of its founder, more will be said in a subsequent chapter. Among the early settlers, few invested so largely in land as Joseph Chapline. We have at hand the records of no less than nineteen different grants from the Proprietary, transferring to him 13.4(10 acres. The greater part of this land was in the neighborhood of Sharpsburg, although some of it was in Pleasant Talley. The Antietam Iron Works was included in his grant for 6352 acres UlSTOJiY AND ElOfJJlAJ’lUOAL EECOllD Sj4 whicl) ho called “Little 1 Thought It.'’ On July !>. Chapline laid out on bis tract “Jbe's Lot,” the town of Sliar|jslmre in lots and named it in hoitftr of Governor Horatio Sharpe, who was at that time the Proprietor's active representative at Aunapoijs. Chapline. who cairn* from England —along with two brothers. Moses and James, must have been one of the earliest settlers in the County, for he had a grant of land in 17 53. about eighteen years after the very first settlement. In Ilf' he had settled in Boston. He vm l> distin- gui-hed citizen of the County and was several times a member of the Assembly. He was a sol¬ dier in the French and Indian war, and the nm,»ter roll of his company, in which he was lieutenant, was recently discovered in his house by John P. Smith who preserves it- His farm, Mt. Plea-ant, wi- on the Potomac river about two miles from 81 1 ai'|isburg. and there in a private graveyard his body lies buried.* When Chaplmc laid out Sbarpsburg, which is next to ll.igemoun the olde-t town in the County, there were four houses in it. One was a log hou.-c used for years as an Indian trading po-t, another stood. by the present Methodist Churdl and was torn down in late years. 'Lite lother two are still standing—the log house, now brick o;!3Kt»d, lately owned by Samuel Michael, and a poii mn of 11 w 1 muse owned by the heirs of Jacob Miller. Living n«tl Welsh Bun at this time was a Wel-h minister named William Williams. He wa- a Pn-byterian Missionary to Virginia and altt r th<* deaili of his wife he emigrated Jo Amer¬ ica anv a writer from Frederick Town in the Maryland Gazette: “Every day, for some time Camp at Port Cumberland, Thursday, June 5th, 1755. Parole—Boston. Field Officer to-morrow Maj. Sparke. For the General’s Guard 48th Regiment. The Working Party to be relieved to-morrow morning and by the same number of men. Camp at Fort Cumberland, Friday, June 6th, 1755. Parole - Field Officer tomorrow Lt. Col. Burton. Sir Peter Halkett s Regiment to march tomorrow morning; the sick of the Regiment unable to march to be sent to the General Hospital. One Subaltern officer to be left behind with them. The men of Sir Peter Halkett’s regiment now on guard, when they are relieved or ordered to come off are to be assembled together and marched regu¬ larly to the Regiment by an officer. Captain Gates’ Independent Company and all ye remaining companys of Provincial troops to march on Sunday morning with the whole Park of Artillery. No more women are allowed to march with each regiment and company than the number allowed of by His Excellency in the orders of the 18th of Any soldier, sutler, woman or other person what¬ ever who shall be detected in stealing, purloining or wasting of any provisions shall suffer Death. The General Court Martial whereof Gen. Sparke’s was President is dissolved. Michael Shelton and Caleb Sary, soldiers belong¬ ing to Caiptn. Edward Brice Dobb’s Company of Americans, tryed for Desertion are by sentence of the Court Martial found guilty and adjudged to re¬ ceive 1000 iashes each. John Igo, a_ convict servant, accused of theft, is by the sentence of the Court Martial found guilty of receiving and concealing goods, the property of soldiers in his Majesty’s service and is adjudged to receive 500 lashes with a cat and nine Tails by the hands of the common hangman. John Mcdonald, soldier in Sir Peter Halkett’s regmt. ae&used with being an accomplice and con¬ cerned with John Igo is acquitted. The guards advanced up Wills Creek, the Po¬ tomac and the flats to be taken off to-morrow morn- past, has offered the melancholy scene of poor, distressed families driving downwards through this town with their effects, who have deserted their plantations, for fear of falling into the cruel hands of our savage enemies, now daily seen in the woods. And never was panic more general or forcible than that of the back inhabitants, whose terrors at this time exceed what followed on the defeat of General Brad dock when the frontiers lay opeD to the incursions of both French and Indians. Whilst Conococheague settlement stands firm, we shall think ourselves in some sort of security from their insults here. But should the inhabitants there give way, you would soon see your city and ing and to join their several corps, the other guards to remain and be relieved as usual. Oapt. Gates independent Company and ye re¬ maining companies of the Provincial Troops to fur¬ nish their proportion for the guards to-morrow and when they are relieved they are to join their com¬ panies in the same manner as those of Sir Peter Halkett’s regiment are directed to do in this day’s No soldier’s wife to be suffered to march from this ground with a horse as their own. Camp at Fort Cumberland, Saturday June 7, 1755. Parole—Doncaster. Capt. Yate’s Independent Companies and the remaining companies of Provincial Troops & ye whole Park of Artillery to march to-morrow morning and to be under the command of Lt. Col. Burton. The Artillery and companies that march to-mor¬ row to receive this afternoon provisions to compleat them to the 11th inclusive and ye women to ye 17th. The 48th Regiment to take all the guards to¬ morrow; the men of ye 48th now upon ye train Guard are to join their corps to-morrow morning, when the Artillery marches off & that grant to be mounted by the companys that march to-morrow. The 48th Regiment to hold themselves in read¬ iness to march on Monday next. After Orders. The General’s Guard is to be reduced to-morrow to 1 Sergt, 1 Corpl and 12 men who are not to be relieved but to remain with the General’s Baggage. Camp at Fort Cumberland, Sunday, June 8, 1755. Parole—Essex. Capt. Gates’ Independent Company and the re¬ maining companies of the Provincial troops and ar¬ tillery are to march to-morrow. The 48th Regiment to march on Tuesday as Col. Dunbar’s Regiment is not to march to-morrow the Genl's Guard to be relieved to-morrow morning. The Companys that march to-morrow to send immediately 1 Sergeant Corporal & 12 men to as¬ sist Mr. Lake Commissary of Provisions at the Fort. A return to be sent immediately from Col. Dun¬ bar’s Regmt, Capt. Gate’s Company and the Ameri- Old Hagerstown Bank. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 57 the lower Counties crowded with objects of com¬ passion, as the flight would, in that case, become general. Numbers of those -who have betaken them¬ selves to the forts, as well as those who have actu¬ ally fled, have entirely lost their crops, or turned in their own cattle or hogs to devour the produce, in hopes of finding them again in better condition, should it hereafter appear safe for them to return. The-season has been remarkably fine, and the har¬ vest in general afforded the most promising ap¬ pearance of plenty and goodness, that has been known for many years. But, alas! how dismal an alteration of the prospect! Many who expect¬ ed to have sold and supplied the necessities of others, now want for themselves, and see their warmest hopes defeated, the fruits of their honest industry snatched from them by the merciless at¬ tacks of these bloodthirsty barbarians, whose treat¬ ment of such unhappy wretches as fall into their hands, is accompanied with circumstances of in¬ fernal fury, too horrid and shocking for human nature to dwell upon, even in imagination. We were so sensible of the importance of Conoco- eheague settlement, both as a bulwark and supply to this neighborhood, that on repeated notice of their distress, Captain Butler, on Wednesday last, called the Town Company together, who appeared under arms on the Court House green with great unanimity. Just as the drum beat at arms, we had the agreeable satisfaction of seeing a wagon sent up by his Excellency (whose tender care for the security of the Province raised sentiments of the highest gratitude in the breast of every one present) loaded with powder and lead. Articles of the greatest importance at this critical juncture, when the whole country has been drained of those necessary articles by the diligence of our Indian traders who had bought up the whole for the sup¬ ply of our enemies, to be returned, as we have dearly experienced, in death and desolation upon us. A subscription was then set on foot and cheerfully entered into, in consequence of which, twenty stout young men immediately enlisted un¬ der Sir. 'Peter Grosh, to march immediately to the assistance of the back inhabitants, and with other volunteers already there raised, to cover the reapers in hopes of securing the crops. Had not the Gov¬ ernor’s supply arrived so seasonably it was doubt¬ ed whether the whole town could have furnished ammunition sufficient for that small party, half of which marched backwards in high spirits on Thursday and the remainder on Friday morning. And on Sunday subscriptions were taken in the several congregations in Town for sending up further assistance. On Sundav afternoon we had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Michael Cressap ar¬ rive in Town with mokosins on his legs, taken from an Indian whom he killed and scalped, being one of those who shot down Mr. Welder, the cir¬ cumstances of which much lamented murder, and the success of Col. Cressap’s family, you no doubt have received from other hands. Money has been cheerfully contributed in our town, towards the support of the men to be added to Col. Cressap’s present force, as we look upon the preservation of the Old Town to be of great importance to us, and a proper check to the progress of the savages; but notwithstanding our present efforts to keep can troops of the number of men they have fitt for Waggoners or Horse drivers. In the return of Col. Dunbar’s regiment they are only to include those men that have joined the Regiment since they have been landed in America. Camp in Fort Cumberland, Monday, June 9, 1755. Parole—Fall mouth. Col. Dunbar’s Regiment to send their sick unable to march to the Genl. Hospital and to leave a Subal¬ tern officer behind with them. One Sergeant, 1 CorpI, 24 men without arms to parade to-morrow morning at Daybreak to assist Mr. Lake, Commissary of Provisions in loading of the waggons. Camp at Fort Cumberland, Tuesday, June 10th, 1755. The Fort Guard to join their Regiments as soon as Governor Innes has taken possession of it and placed his centrys. Camp at the Grove (First Camp from Fort Cumber¬ land.) Parole—Gainsborough. All the officers of the line to be in the Gen’s tent tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock. No fires to be made upon any acct whatever within 150 yards of the Road on either side, any person acting contrary to this order shall be very severely punished. All the waggons to be drawn up to-morrow morn¬ ing as close as possible and as soon as the waggons belong to the detachment under the command of Maj. Chapman have closed up to the rear of the Artillery that Detachment then to join the respec¬ tive Corps. Col. Dunbar’s Regiment to encamp to-morrow morning upon the left of the whole according to the line of encampment. Camp, at the Grove, Wednesday, June 11, 1755. Parole—Hartford. Capt. Rutherford and Capn. Gates Indp. Com- panys and all the American’s Troops to be under HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD the enemy at a distance, and thereby shelter the whole Province, our inhabitants are poor, our men dispersed, and without a detachment from below, it is to.be feared wo must give way, and the inun¬ dation break upon the lower counties.” In October 17G4 a company of forty-three woodsmen from our valley marched under Capt. William McClellan to Port Pitt to serve without pay in the expeditions against the Indians beyond the Ohio river. This was one year and eight months after a treaty of peace had been signed by France and England. The treaty of Paris which deprived Prance and gave to England the immense territory in America from Hudson Bay to the Mississippi river claimed by France by virtue of the discoveries of Carteret was signed February 17(13. Hostilities soon ceased and “the land had peace twelve years.” arms immediately at the head of their respective encampments. Any person whatsover that is detected in steal¬ ing shall be immediately hanged witht being brought to a Court Martial. One Subaltern officer, 1 Sergt, 1 Corporal and 40 men without arms from each of ye 2 Regts to parade immediately at ye head of the artillery. One Sub., 1 Sergt., 1 Dr. & 30 men of the line to Parade in the rear of Col. Dunbar’s Regt as soon as they have come to their proper ground. The officer is to receive his orders from Maj. Sparkes. Whatever number of Horses are furnished by the officers are to be paraded as soon as possible in the Rear of Col. Dunbar’s Regmt. and to be reviewed by Maj. Sparkes. The officers are desired to acquaint Maj. Sparkes which of their Horses for carrying Horses and which are for Draught and to be so good as to send with the carrying horses Bat-saddles & etc., if they have them. The Commanding Officers of the 2 Regmts and the Captns of the Independent and Provincial Troops to send in a return to the Genl. of the number of Horses furnished by their respective officers and opposite to the officers’ names, the number of Horses furnished by each officer; that the Genl. May be able to inform His Majesty of the Inclination and readiness of the particular officers in carrying on the •service. After Orders. No more than 2 women per company to be al¬ lowed to march from the camp, a list of the names of those that are to be sent back to be given into Captn Morris that there may be an order sent to Col.. Innes at Fort Cumberland to victual them—A list of the names of the women that are to be allow¬ ed to stay with the troops to be given into the Major of Brigade & any woman that is found in camp & whose name is not in the list will for the first time be severely punished and for the second suffer Death. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 59 CHAPTER V HE brief era of peace from the close of the Indian War to the beginning of the war of the American Revolution, witnessed a re¬ markable development of the Valley. Dur¬ ing these ten or fifteen years, immigrants poured into the County from all sides, but more es¬ pecially from Germany, attracted by the mag¬ nificent soil, healthful and invigorating cli¬ mate, pure and wholesome water and the in¬ ducements offered by Lord Baltimore, which have already been set forth. Mills were built along the banks of the Antietam and Conoco- cheague. Small factories of various kinds, were started in different parts of the County. Barn¬ abas Hughes, the ancestor of the Hughes family, had emigrated from Ireland, and built the Mt. Aetna iron furnace at the foot of South Mountain. Roads were laid out, the streams were spanned by bridges and there was general prosperity. The principal event of this period was the laying out of the town of Hagerstown in Septem- *The Heger family is of old Saxon origin; tlie very name denotes its source and its antiquity. The “Heger” was one of the “sworn and knowing free¬ men,” called “Vierherren,” holding the Folkmoete or , Thing, which was legislature, divine-service and court of justice combined. The mystic-square of the Thing, on which sat or stood the officers, was called “Die Hegung,” and one of the Vierherren, who had to look . to it that no uninitiated person overstepped the boundaries of the square, was the Heger; after¬ wards, the representative of the Count or Graf, when holding court, was called Heger. Such offices-in very early times became heredi¬ tary; if the father was a Vierherr, his oldest son would be initiated in due time, and generally receive or inherit the same office. Family names were only to be found with the princes (athelings). Gradually, ber, 17G1, by Jonathan Hager on his tract called ‘'New Work.” Jonathan Hager,* as has been already stated, was born in Germany. About the year 1730 he emigrated to America and after a short stay in Pennsylvania, came to the Valley where his memory is perpetuated by the town which bears his name, probably in 1737 or 1738. In the patent for two hundred acres of land which he received from Lord Baltimore in 1739, “a bounded white oak standing on the side of a hill within fifty yards of said Hagar’s dwell¬ ing-house,” is mentioned in one of the lines. He was married in 1740 to Elizabeth Kershner, or Grischner, and by her had two children, a daugh¬ ter, Rosina, born April 21st, 1752, and a son, Jonathan, born in 1756. To his wife, Elizabeth, ITagar was tenderly attached. Upon her death lie wrote in his family Bible in the German language, ‘‘We lived together until the 16th of April, 1765, Then it pleased the Lord to call her, after severe suffering, out of this world. What God does is the nobility began to take the name of their place of residence, or of their office, and it is obvious that the office of Heger very early furnished the names for a family connected with the same for several gener¬ ations. That the Heger family had the name for the old Saxon Thing, is distinctly told us in a quaint old chronicle of the sixteenth century, entitled “Dassel- sche und Einbecksche Chronica, v. Johann Setzner um Hardessianum, Erfurt, 1594,” Page 171, we read: “The noble men of Heger held from olden time as a fief a free-field-court from the Imperial Abbey of Corvey and derive a hereditary revenue from the same and today there are under their auspices in Strothhagn two sessions of the free-field-court annu¬ ally.” HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD well done. Her funeral text is recorded in 2nd Tim. i, lit The hymn was sung, “Lord Jesus Christ, true man and God,” also the hymn, “Think ye children of men, on the last day of life.'” “0 my child, lay rightly to heart the words of this hymn, and do right and fear God and keep His commandments, and if you have anything, do not forget the poor, and do not exalt yourself in pride. and haughtiness above your fellow men. Eor you are not better than the humblest before Gochs eyes, and perhaps not as good. And so, if you have no fear of God within you, all is vain. My child, keep this in remembrance of your father, and live according to it, and it will go well with you here while you live, and there eternally.” The town which Hager had founded was named by' the founder, Elizabethtown, in affection¬ ate remembrance of his wife and so it was incor¬ porated and so it was known for many years.* Hagerstown as originally laid out, contained about five hundred and twenty lots each fronting on the street eighty feet, and running back two hundred and forty feet to an alley. The number¬ ed lots in this original plat were bounded on the north by North street and extended south of An- tietam and west of Walnut and six hundred and ♦The evolution of the present name is traced by Mr. Basil Sollers in an address upon Jonathan Hagar. “The public were better acquainted with Jona¬ than Hagar and his work,” says Mr. Sobers, “than with Elizabeth, his wife. To many it was always Hagar's Town. Indeed before the town was in ex¬ istence, so web was Mr. Hagar known that neighbor¬ ing farms were located as “near Capt. Hagar’s in Frederick County.” Others gave it its legal name. Even in the laws it is mentioned indifferently as Ebzabeth-Town and Hagar’s Town after 1802. This "struggle for existence” between two names has in¬ terested me much. In 1770, Eddis says the name of Hagar's Town is given to it “in honor of the intelli¬ gent founder.” A letter from a school boy to his father, Capt. Wm. Heyser, at the American Camp, Philadelphia, is dated “Hagar’s Town, Oct. 12th 1776,” Hart and Rochester advertise “nails, brads and sprigs of their own manufacturing in Hager’s- Town,” over date “Hager’s-Town, August 20th, 1790.” The “Washington Spy,” of January 1st, 1790, is print¬ ed by Stewart Herbert “Elizabeth (Hager’s) Town,” —that is, Ebzabeth-Town, or if you like it better Hager's Town. In the laws we find “an act to es¬ tablish a market-house in Ebzabeth-Town,” in 1783; Commissioners of Ebzabeth-Town were appointed and incorporated as such in 1791. The laws further mention it as Ebzabeth-Town in 1792, 1793 and 1794. An issue of the “Herald and Advertiser” is dated "Elizabeth (Hager's) Town, (Maryland), Wednesday, March 31st, 1802.” Two laws mention Elizabeth- forty feet east from Potomac. Afterwards in con¬ tinuing Potomac street to the south, it had to de¬ flect to the left to avoid the large swamp which is now just disappearing. The lots were rapidly sold, or rather leased, for five pounds and an annual and perpetual ground rent of seven shill¬ ings and six pence. Within ten years after the town was laid out on paper, more than a hundred comfortable dwelling-houses had been erected, oc¬ cupied by a prosperous and happy population, hav¬ ing probably but little communication with the world across the mountains. They manufactured their own goods, and were already beginning to build up a trade with the settlers south of the Potomac, w'hom in a few years they supplied with salt, hardware and such articles as they could not manufacture for themselves in their own rude way, receiving in payment the products of the forest and the farm. The public square had been re¬ served to accommodate a market house in its centre. This building, a rather rude and primitive affair, we may he sure, remained until the town became the capital of Washington County in 1776, and then it gave place to a combined market house and court house, with a whipping post in the mar¬ ket. When not occupied by market people, the Town in 1802, and in 1804 one mentions Hager’s Town, which is the first recognition of this name in the laws. In 1807 it is twice called Ebzabeth-Town and twice Hager’s-Town, and the "Hager’s-Town Bank at Ebzabeth-Town” is established. In the “De¬ scription of the States of Maryland and Delaware, by Joseph Scott, Philadelphia, 1807,” he says, “Ebz¬ abeth-Town, commonly 'called Hagerstown, a hand¬ some and flourishing town, and the capital of the county. It is situated near Anti-Etam creek and 71 miles from Baltimore, and contains about 300 houses, a court house, jail, market house, school house, and four churches, viz.: one for German Lutherans’, one for German Calvinists, one for Episcopalians, and one for Roman Catholics. The town has a great number of clock and watch makers, blacksmiths, coppersmiths, gun and lock smiths, hatters, tanners, boot and shoemakers, saddlers, weavers, dyers, pot¬ ters, coachmakers, and taylors; also a rope and nail manufactory.” The laws mention in 1808 Ebzabeth- Town twice, in 1810 Hagers-Town, in 1811 Ebzabeth- Town, and Hager’s-Town twice, and in 1812 Hager’s- town. In 1813, the name was changed from Ebza¬ beth-Town to Hager’s Town by act of the legisla¬ ture, though the first mention of the name in its present form, Hagerstown, which I have been able to find in the laws, is in 1829. Thus the justice of the people has proved in this case stronger than the affectionate desire of the founder, and legislative enactments. The fittest name has survived.” OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 61 market house under the court house was used as a public hitching place for the horses of visitors from the surrounding country. The jail stood on the alley between Washington and Franklin streets. It was a small structure of logs, with holes to admit light, in the entire absence of windows at that time, and in fact not until recent years, was it considered necessary for the sheriff to reside at the jail. The same year that Hagerstown was laid out Gen. Washington’s scheme of improving the navi¬ gation of the Potomac river had taken shape and Jonathan Hager and Thomas Cressap were among the Directors or Managers for the Colony of Maryland.* When General Washington, as a youth, sur¬ veyed Lord Fairfax’ estate in the Valley of Vir¬ ginia, he became acquainted with the immense productiveness of the soil and the great mineral wealth of the Valley on both sides of the Potomac, and was no doubt struck with the entire isolation. It was absolutely without communication with the tidewater portion of the Colonies—then the centre of population, except over rude trails which must have been well night impassable for a good portion of the year. Later, after the successful termina¬ tion of the war for Independence, when the suc¬ cessful General had resigned his commission and had retired to his farm at Mount Vernon, he was still alive to the future welfare of the country. With characteristic wisdom, he foresaw the rapid peopling of the Valley of the Ohio and of tiie upper Mississippi, and he further saw that there was no chance of holding the people who should settle the West, as it was then called, as a part of the confederation unless they were bound by the chains of commerce and self interest. Besides these evident political considerations, it was also in Washington’s mind to secure to the cities of the Atlantic seaboard the valuable trade of the West¬ ern territory. The mouth of the Mississippi river was at that time in the hands of the Spanish and Washington was anxious to keep the trade of the Ohio and the upper Mississippi from drifting down the stream to the growing town of New Orleans. His original scheme therefore was enlarged so as to contemplate an extension of the Potomac and Janies Rivers as far through the mountains as pos¬ sible toward tire waters of the Ohio which should be finally reached by short portages. He com¬ municated with the Governor of Virginia, the Con¬ tinental Congress and influential citizens of the State of Maryland and impressed upon all of them the political and commercial importance of the undertaking. In his letter to Governor Harrison, of Virginia lie reminded him ‘That the flanks and rear of the United States are possessed by other powers and formidable ones, too ; nor need I press the necessity of applying the cement of interest to bind all parts of the Union together by indis¬ soluble bonds—especially of building that part which lies immediately west of us to the Middle States.’’ He thought the Western settlers already stood on a pivot ready to drop into the arms of ♦February 11th, 1762, the following communica¬ tion appeared in the “Maryland Gazette,” of Annap¬ olis. “To the public. “The opening of the river Patowmack and mak¬ ing it passable for small craft, from Fort Cumberland at Will’s Creek to the Great Falls, will be of the greatest advantage to Virginia and Maryland, by facilitating commerce with the back inhabitants, who will not then have more than 20 miles land car¬ riage to harbour, where ships of great burthen load annually, whereas at present many have 150; and what will perhaps be considered of still greater im¬ portance, is the easy communication it will afford with the waters of the Ohio. “The whole land carriage from Alexandria or George Town will then be short of 90 miles; whereas the Pennsylvanians (who at present monopolize the very lucrative skin and fur trades) from their near¬ est sea port have at least 300: a circumstance Which must necessarily force that gainful trade into this channel, should this very useful work be affected; and that it may, is the unanimous opinion of the best judges, and at moderate expense compared with the extraordinary convenience and advantages which must result from it.” The communication stated that “it is proposed to solicit the public for their contri¬ butions by way of subscription.” Eleven managers were appointed for Virginia and the same number for Maryland. “Some skillful gentlemen” had “agreed to view” the Great Falls in the spring, and if they should report the opening or passing of them practi¬ cable (which is now generally believed) it is proposed that whatever balance remains in the Treasurers’ hands after compleating the first design, shall be ap¬ propriated to that purpose.” The “Maryland Gazette,” June 10th, 1762 con¬ tained the following announcement: “The managers have now’the pleasure to inform the public, that sub¬ scriptions are filling very fast, and that ’people in general, but more especially in the back countries, and those bordering on the Patowmack, discover so much alacrity in promoting the affair, that there is not the least doubt that sum will be raised, suf¬ ficient to carry on the work by the day appointed for the meeting, 20th of July next.” 62 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD either the British or the Spaniards should those counties offer the allurements of profitable and easy trade. Washington’s plans were National and included the union of the waters of the Ohio with those of Lake Erie. There was no difficulty in getting the Legis¬ lature of Virginia to take proper action on the Potomac navigation scheme and as it was essential to have exact conformity upon the part of Mary¬ land, Commissions were appointed by Virginia to confer with representatives of Maryland. At the meeting of the Commissioners of Vir¬ ginia and Maryland, which was held in the city of Annapolis, December 22., 1784, Virginia was rep¬ resented by George Washington and General Gates and Maryland by Thomas Stone, Samuel Hughes and Charles Carroll, of the Senate, and John Cad- wallader, Samuel Chase, John Debutts, George Diggs, Philip Key, Gustavus Scott and Joseph Dashiell, of the House. General Washington was chairman and B. B. Latimer was clerk. This body passed resolutions setting forth their belief that the improvement of the river as far up the north branch as possible, and thence by a road to the waters of the Ohio, would greatly increase the commerce of the two States and greatly promote the political interests of the United States, by forming a free and easy communication and con¬ nection with the people settled on the western waters, already very considerable in their numbers, that therefore, the project deserved to be patron¬ ized by the States of Maryland and Virginia, and that each State should subscribe for fifty shares of the capital stock. It was the opinion of the conference that a road should begin about the mouth of Stony river and be carried about twenty miles to Dunker Bottom on the Cheat river, and thence to the Ohio by batteaux navigation, al¬ though they feared that the improving of the Cheat river might involve considerable expense. If that was the case, however, the road might be continued twenty miles further to the Mononga- hela, where navigation had long been practiced. The road they thought, should be cut and cleared not less than eighty feet, and- properly improved not less than forty feet nor more than fifty feet in width. It was further recommended that a survey of the route be made. By the charter that was granted by Virginia in October 1784, and by Maryland in November of the same year, the capital stock of the Potomac Company was placed at 500 shares of $444 4-’9, each an even hundred pounds sterling of that date, payable in milled Spanish dollars or foreign coin of equal value. The canals around the Falls were made real estate and were to be free of all taxation. In case of condemnation of lands where condemna¬ tion was made, the company was to acquire an estate in perpetuity, and not simply the right of way. This feature was copied into the charter of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, the successor of the Potomac Company.* Tolls were granted to the company upon con¬ dition that they make the river navigable in dry seasons for vessels drawing one foot of water. The locks were to lie eighty feet long, sixteen in width and with four feet depth of water. This was subsequently changed to twelve feet wide and two deep* The river was to be improved from North Branch to Georgetown; at North Branch there was to be a road made over to the Cheat River, Tolls were to be collected at South Branch, Paynes’ Falls, near Wcverton, and the Great Falls, near Georgetown. These toll ,points were afterwards *The following is an extract from the original manuscript book entitled “Subscriptions for extend¬ ing the navigation of Potowmack” preserved in the Land Office at Annapolis: “Maryland Sst: “In (pursuance of an Act of the General Assem¬ bly of this State entitled an Act for establishing a Company for opening and extending the navigation of the River Potomack. We the Subscribers, desir¬ ous of promoting so laudable an undertaking, do promise and hereby oblige ourselves, our Heirs, Ex¬ ecutors and Administrators, to pay to such Treasurer as shall be appointed to receive the same,, the sev¬ eral and respective Shares affixed to our names, in such proportions as shall be agreed upon at a general meeting of the Company to be held on the 17th day of May 1785.” Subscribers Names. Residence. No. Shares Wm. Paca Ch. Carroll of Car¬ rollton Dan of St. Thos. Jen¬ ifer Wallace & Muir L. Stone W. H. Jenifer T. Ridout Sam’l Chase Robt. H. Harrison Stephen West I. A. Thomas Annapolis do. do. do. do. Portobacco Annapolis Annapolis Charles City Pr. Geo. County St. Mary’s Four Six One Five Two One One One One One Two OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 63 increased in number and one was established at Conococheague. The one at Paynes’ Falls was moved up to Hook’s Falls. It seems that naviga¬ tion was actually practicable up the South Branch as far as Moorfield, Va., and an act was passed by the Virginia Legislature in 1800 to punish persons obstructing the stream with piles of stones or fish dams. The Potomac Company was authorized to improve all the tributaries, but this right they afterwards forfeited. The Legislature of each State passed an act permitting slaves engaged in work on the locks to be carried over the river into the other State without thereby attaining their freedom unless slaves brought from Virginia into Maryland should be permitted to remain in the latter State over twelve calendar months, in which case they should become free. In 1809 a lottery was authorized by the State of Maryland to raise money for the company. In 1820, the inadequacy of the system being felt, an act was passed authorizing a survey of the country between the headwaters of the Potomac and the Ohio and Rappahannock. The following year, an act was passed virtually forfeiting the charter. To this the Potomac Company assented; the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal succeeded to the older company and the State of Maryland sub¬ scribed its stock in the Potomac Company to the new corporation. The Potomac, as improved, was declared a public highway. The boats employed on it were well ceiled with strong plank and sufficiently high to prevent the water in the bottom from damaging any part of the cargo.* They were furnished with tarpaulin covers, stretched over hoops like an old fashioned wagon, to defend the cargo from rain. Each one had a hand pump and a plank foot way upon each side either inside or out. The boats had to be num¬ bered and licensed, but no license would be granted unless it was constructed as required by law. Up to 1797 there was an incline plane leading from the surface of the river below Great Falls to the Canal at the upper level. Merchandise was let down and hauled up this plane so that it would appear that up to that time boats did not go all the way through. The schedule of the tolls authorized by the charter of the Potomac Company, furnishes a cu¬ rious commentary upon the condition of the cur¬ rency in 1784. This was before the adoption of the constitution and there was no national cur¬ rency. The States did not delegate the issuing and management of the currency to the Congress, but reserved it to themselves and consequently everything was in hopeless confusion and only foreign coins were in circulation.. The table of rates was reckoned in sterling money, but every other kind of money was used as much as the English. The charter contained a table set¬ ting forth the value in English money of the various coins at that time in circulation, and likely to be tendered to the toll gatherers. A Spanish milled piece of eight, or dollar, was equivalent to 4s, 6d; English milled crowns, 5s; French silver crowns, 5s; Johannes, £3 12s; Moi- dores, £1.7; English guineas,£1.1; French guineas, £1, lOd.; Doubloons, £3, 6s.; Spanish pistoles 16s 6d.; French milled pistoles, 16s 4d.; Arabian Chequins, 8s, 6d.; other gold coin, German except¬ ed, 4s, per pennyweight. The Johannes, or as it was always called the joe, was worth $16 and was a Spanish coin highly prized and carefully hid away in the old stocking which did service as a bank in those days when there was no other. Under the old articles of confederation, each State retained to itself the regulation of its own commerce and the imposition of duties, and so the charter of the Potomac Company permitted the products of Maryland or other States trans¬ ported over this highway to enter Virginia free of any impost or tariff duty, and the produce of Virginia or other States to enter Maryland free The toll list gives us also some idea of the produc¬ tion of the territory in which the Potomac and the proposed extension of the highway -lay. Rates ♦ The following advertisement appeared in the Hagerstown papers of 1825: BOATING. The subscriber respectfully informs his friends and the public generally, that he has at present FOUR NEW BOATS in complete order for conveying Flour, Whiskey and other produce from Williams-Port to the city of Washington, on terms to suit the times. He has appointed Mr. James Shoaff, for his agent to conduct business in Williams-Port, such as taking in loading and securing the same, so that it may be safely delivered, and have punctual returns made to all those that may please to favor him in the above line of business. CHRISTIAN ARDINGER. March 15. tf. N. B. Any person wishing to have Fish, Plaster, Salt, or any back loading, can be accommodated on reasonable terms. 64 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD were made for wine, rum, spirits, hogsheads of tobacco, linseed oil, wheat, peas, beans, flaxseed, grain. Hour, beef, pork, hemp, flax, potash, bar and pig iron, lime, coals, pipe, barrel and hogshead staves and heading, lumber and timber. Towards the latter part of the life of the Potomac Com¬ pany the shipment of coal in boats from Cumber¬ land. to Georgetown became an active industry. Eifteen hundred bushels were loaded in flat boats which the current, assisted by poles, would float down in three days. These hat boats were broken up and the timber sold, but the regular keel boats, 70 feet long, w'ere poled back—a long and tedious operation. Without affording him any opportunity to decline in advance, the Legislature of Virginia authorized the Treasurer, m subscribing to the stock of the Potomac Navigation Company for the State, to subscribe for an equal amount for Washington. It was done gracefully and deli¬ cately but firmly declined by the Patriot, for, he said, how would it appear to the eye of the world that lie had received twenty thousand dollars of the public money! It would deprive him of the principal thing that was laudable in his conduct.’ Very soon subscriptions to the w r ork came in, locks were built around the Falls of the Potomac and when President Washington came through Hagerstown on his way to 'Williamsport, he had the pleasure, on the 22nd day of October 1790, of returning to Mount Vernon upon the breast of the beautiful Potomac, amidst the grand scenery through which that historic stream winds its course. The trade down the river to Georgetown was considerable from the first. The rapid current of the stream carried the loaded boats down with but little labor and they were pushed up stream by poles. The boats were built pointed at bow and stern with a steering oar at each. They were largf enough to convey about a hundred and sixty barrels of flour. Hay. flour and whiskey were the principal products shipped from the County. From an early period in the history of the County, water mills were numerous along the streams and the amount of flour made was considerable. Corn and rye, Icing unprofitable to ship, were converted into whiskey, and the County has always had a high reputation for this manufacture, which is still maintained. Frequently when the price of whiskey was very low in Georgetown it would be wagoned eighteen miles further to Upper Marl¬ boro on the Patuxent river, which was at that time a better market. One. of the first to engage in this transportation business was Anthony Stake, of Williamsport, who owned a warehouse and two boats which plied between his town, then but a small village, although it enjoyed a large trade, and Georgetown. Jonathan Hager’s name came prominently before the people of the whole colony in connection with another matter of great public interest. In 1771 he was elected delegate to the General Assem¬ bly. When the Assembly convened the committee on elections reported “that they were informed and believe that Mr. Jonathan Hager, a member re¬ turned for Frederick County, is not a natural born subject, that-he came into America, and was naturalized some time before the said election.” After the report of the committee had been read a second time, it was resolved, “That this House will, on Tuesday next, at the sitting of the House, take into consideration that part of the said report relative to Mr. Jonathan Hagar.” On Tuesday, October 8th, “The House proceeded to take the same into consideration, and permitted Mr. Hagar, on his prayer to be heard by counsel. The counsel appeared, and being heard, he withdrew.” On motions to that effect, the following British Stat¬ utes, Provincial Act and Resolves were read, viz.: IS and 13 W. HI. c. 2 ; 1 Geo. I, c. 4; Act of As¬ sembly of 1716, Chap. XI: 13 Geo. II, c. 7; Resolves of the Lower House of Assembly of Oct. 18th, 1753 and 22 Geo. II, c. 45. “Then the House took the several Statutes, the Act of Assem¬ bly and the Resolves above mentioned into consid¬ eration; and after some debate thereon, Mr. Hagar withdrew, and Mr. Speaker, by the direction of the House, put the following question: “That Jonathan Hagar, returned as a representative for Frederick County, not being a natural born sub¬ ject, nor descended from a natural born subject, but naturalized in the year 1747, since the Stat. of 13 Geo. II, agreeable to said Stat., long before said election; hath been a resident of this province ever since, and hath a freehold of fifty acres of land, be eligible?* Resolved in the negative. “In consequence of the aforegoing Resolution, Mr. Hagar was called in, and Mr. Speaker, by the direction of the House, acquaints him that he is discharged from any further attendance on this House as a member thereof.” The vote stood twenty-four in the negative to twenty-three in the affirmative in a House OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 65 composed of fifty-eight members, thirty from the Western and twenty-eight from the Eastern Shore. Three members were absent or did not vote from the Western Shore, and eight from the Eastern. The voting members of the Western Shore where Mr. Hagar was best known, stood fifteen to twelve in favor of his eligibility, and the voting members of the Eastern Shore stood twelve to eight against it. On the aflirmative we find the names of Thomas Johnson who in 1775 nominated George Washington as Commander-in-chief of the Conti¬ nental Army, and in 1777 became the first Gover¬ nor of the State of Maryland; of Wm. Paca, signer of the Declaration and third Governor; and of Wm. Smallwood who distinguished himself as a General in the Revolutionary War, and became fourth Governor of the State. The most distin¬ guished name on the negative is that of Samuel Chase, in after years judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. An examination of the law in the order in which it was read before the House in their de¬ liberation on Mr. Hagar’s case, aside from its bearing on the legal status of a naturalized subject in 1771, shows conclusively that the contest was between the progressive spirits and the conserva¬ tive ; for the law was against Mr. Hager’s eligibil¬ ity. The House of Delegates did not let the mat¬ ter rest here. The law as it stood did not allow Mr. Hager a seat, and the House proceeded to change the operation of the English laws by pass¬ ing a provincial law covering the ground, and thereby superseding them so far as they affected the right of a naturalized citizen to a seat in the House. This was done so expeditiously that it not only prevented similar injustice to other nat¬ uralized subjects, but enabled Mr. Hager to take his seat before the close of the session. Mr. Hager was rejected Oct. 8th. Oct 9th an order was passed for the issue of a new writ of election to the sheriff of Frederick County “to elect a delegate to serve in this present session of Assembly, in the stead of Mr. Jonathan Hager, whose seat is declared vacant.” A committee was granted leave to bring in a bill “for vesting in such foreign protestants as are now naturalized or shall be hereafter naturalized in this province, all the rights and privileges of'natural born sub¬ jects.” Mr. Hager’s colleagues from Frederick County, and two others of the minority, with Mr. Chase of the majority in the vote of rejection, were placed on the committee. The bill was brought in and read the first time Oct. 11th, the second time Saturday, Oct. 12th, sent to the Upper House Monday, Oct. 1-ith, and returned on the same day endorsed, “Read the first and second time by a special order, and will pass.” Oct. 16th, “Mr. Speaker left the chair, and (with the mem¬ bers of this House) went to the Upper House, and there presented to his Excellency” the above bill and another for the adjournment and continuance of the High Court of Appeals. “Both which his Excellency passed into laws in the usual manner” “by sealing it with the Right Honorable the Lord Proprietary his Great Seal at Arms and subscrib¬ ing it on behalf of the Right Honorable the Lord Proprietary of-*this Province I will this be a Law.” Thus in eight days from the declaration of his ineligibility Mr. Hager was rendered eligible, for the new act conferred all the rights and privileges of natural born subject without the obnoxious proviso of the English law. Nov. 16th, Mr. Hager, having been re-elected, qualified and took his seat to serve in his own stead, in time to vote in favor of that famous ad¬ dress to Governor Eden, protesting against his at¬ tempt to fix the fees of officers by proclamation, a subject which agitated the minds of the good people of Maryland until the opening scenes in the revolutionary drama distracted attention from all minor matters. The act which gave Mr. Hager his seat reads: “Whereas many foreign protestants have already settled in this province, and others from the lenity of our government, the purity of our religion, and the benefit of our laws, may be hereafter induced to settle therein, if they were made partakers of the advantages and privileges which natural born subjects enjoy: Be it therefore enacted by, etc., That all such foreign protestants who have been already natur¬ alized in this province pursuant to the directions of the Stat.” 13 Geo. II., cap. 7—before quoted as that under which Mr. Hager was naturalized— “and all foreign protestants who shall be hereafter naturalized in this province pursuant to the direc¬ tions of the said statute, shall be deemed, adjudged and taken, to be natural born subjects, to all in¬ tents, constructions and purposes as if they, and every one of them, had been born within the kingdoms of Great Britain or Ireland, or within any other of his majesty’s dominions, any law to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.” HISTOEY AND BIOGKAPHICAL RECOED Mr. Hager was re-elected a delegate to the Assembly of 1773. The committee on elections and privileges again reported, June 26th, that Jonathan Hager Was not a natural born subject, “and is the same person who was returned a Dele¬ gate for Frederick County to the late General Assembly. October Session, 1771, and by the late lower House voted and declared to be ineligible for that cause.” Frederick, the last Lord Balti¬ more, died September 14th, 1771, and as the legislature which passed the act of 1771 was called Oct. 2d, in his name and by his authority, doubts were entertained as to the validity of the laws passed by it. In case the laws were not valid,' Mr. Hager was still ineligible, until they had been made valid by a new act confirming them. Here was a new difficulty, but the House made quick work with it. The report was read and they con¬ curred therewith, except that part relative to Mr. Jonathan Hager. “Ordered, That that part be referred for con¬ sideration on the third day of the next session of Assembly. Ordered That the clerk of this Flouse give Mr. Hagar notice, thereof.” Mr. Hager continued a member of the House to the end of the session, though he had leave of absence from June 24th to July 3d. His name is found with the majority in several divisions, and he was placed on several committees.* It is be¬ lieved that Jonathan Hager was the first man to be naturalized in this country. About a year after Capt. Hager’s return from Annapolis on the 6th of November 1775, this active, able and most excellent man and citizen was killed at his saw mill on the Antietam Creek near the town. He was superintending the prep¬ aration of timber for building a German Reform¬ ed Church on a lot which he had given, when a log slipped, knocked him down and crushed him. As soon as he could be rescued from the log he was carried into a house near by and laid upon the floor. The pool of blood which ran from him stained the floor and the stain was well remembered by the late M. S. Barber who saw it when a young man. The house was pulled down not long ago. Miss Martha Lawrence his great granddaughter, had in her possession the silver watch he wore at the time and which has the dent made by the log in passing over it. He died in the midst of his usefulness, having contributed more than any other citizen to develop the County in which he had settled. Had he lived one year longer, he would have had the satisfaction of seeing the town he had founded and named after his dear wife, the county seat of a new County named in honor of the patriot who had just been called to command the army which he was to lead to victory through a long and dreadful conflict. That Jon¬ athan Hager, had he been living, would have taken an active and honorable part in that conflict we cannot doubt. But he left a brave son to represent him, in Jonathan Hager, Jr., who went into the army in July, 1776, being then about twenty years of age. His active service at this time, however, lasted but a single month, for in August he was captured by the enemy at the battle of Long Island and carried to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was imprisoned in a. dungeon under the ramparts of the fort in which he probably contracted the dis¬ ease which caused his early death. Here he was visited after he had been imprisoned for a year, in the month of August 1777, by his sister’s hus¬ band, General Daniel Heister. Under the English law which was at that time in force in Maryland, Jonathan Hager, Jr., being the oldest son inherited all of his father’s large real estate. But the gen¬ erous young man did not propose to avail himself of a law which had always been distasteful to Americans, at the expense of his only sister, so im¬ mediately upon his father’s decease he entered into a writing agreeing to convey to his sister the por¬ tion of his father’s estate of five thousand acres, which he thought should rightfully be hers. But at this time he was not twenty-one years of age, and the deed or agreement had no binding force. Hager attained his majority while he was in prison, in 17 77, and in August of that year General Heister.got leave of the Board of War to go to Halifax to get his brother-in-law, now of age, to make a good deed. This was readily effected. But still General Heister was not satisfied. It was impossible to have deeds drawn up and exe¬ cuted with proper formality at Halifax, and so Heister, upon his return went before the Legis¬ lature to obtain the passage of an act which should cure all defects in the deed. Such an act was passed in 1781, ’out with the proviso “that if the said Jonathan Hager shall at any time hereafter return into this State, and shall, within six months "Jonathan Hager by Basil Sobers. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 67 thereafter, institute his suit in chancery against the said Daniel Heister and Hosannah, his wife, or her heirs or her or their assigns, and shall make it appear to the chancellor, that he did not volun¬ tarily, freely and fairly make and execute the said deed of conveyance, or that at the time of making and executing thereof, he had not attained the age of twenty-one years, that then this act shall cease to have any operation or effect.” Of the fourteen hundred acres of his father’s estate that Hager conveyed to his brother-in-law for his life with the fee in his sister, five hundred acres lay betweeen Elizabethtown and Jeru¬ salem “adjoining the lands of Jacob Rohrer, Michael Faclder, the town of Elizabeth to John Stull's land, thence by the same- and the land of Jacob Funk, so as to include the plantation then in the tenure of Harmon Clopper.” Upon this tract Heister laid out the addition to Hagerstown known as Heisterboro. The other nine hundred' acres were to be laid out by Joseph Sprigg, Samuel Hughes, Daniel Hughes, Dr. Henry Schnebley, George Shaver, Isaac Baker and George Swingle. Five lots lying in Elizabethtown were also con¬ veyed in the deed. These lots were described as being in the tenure of Thomas Simmes, the Reverend Mr. Young and Dr. Noah Hart, one lot on which Harmon Clopper formerly built a small log house and a lot opposite the Calvinist new church. This conveyance to Hosannah Heister occas¬ ioned protracted litigation, some history of which is given in the following “'Orders of Publication” taken from the proceedings of the Court of Chan¬ cery: In Chancery, Jan. 25, 1832. Robert Hicks & Magdeline his wife, Christian Hager and others, Samuel Heister, David Beaver & Catherine his wife, Ellen Davis, Abraham Landis & Rachel his wife, Rebecca & Joseph Vanderslice, Mary Leah, John & Henry Heister, Jonathan and Elizabeth, William & Charles Heister & Freder¬ ick Shultze, John, Mary & William Shultze, Isaac, Catherine & William, Daniel J. & John P. Heister, Edward Climer & Maria his wife, Rebecca Echert, Juliana and Jonathan Miller and James R. Riley, and others. The object of the bill filed in this cause is to obtain from the Defendants a conveyance of four¬ teen hundred acres of land, lying in and near Hagerstown, in Washington County, in the State of Maryland, and several town Lots, in Hagers¬ town, and a sale of part thereof and an account of the rents and profits of the whole. The Bill states, that a certain Jonathan Hager of Frederick, now Washington County, died in the year 1775, intestate, seized of five thousand acres of land in said County, of which the said lots and fourteen hundred acres above mentioned are part, leaving two children, Hosannah & Jonathan Hager, to the last of whom, ail the said land descended. That thb said Jonathan Hager, the younger, executed and delivered to his said sister Hosannah, an agree¬ ment to convey the aforesaid lots and fourteen hun¬ dred acres tcTher in fee, and that £>aniel Heister, with whom she afterwards intermarried, represent¬ ing that he had obtained in 1777 from the said Jonathan Hager the younger, then a prisoner in Halifax, a deed of said property to himself in fee, petitioned the Legislature of Maryland in. 1781, to pass an act vesting the said property in himself and wife in lee, but finally agreed to accept an act vesting the same in the said Rosannah in fee, and reserving a life estate to him and from that time until their respective deaths claimed and had the actual seisin and possession jifreof -f.l-.at the said Jonathan Hager the younger, returned to Mary¬ land, married and died leaving an only Child, Elizabeth, afterwards married to Upton Lawrence —that the said Daniel Heister & wife also removed to Maryland and died, the said Daniel in 1804, and the said Rosannah in 1810, seized & possessed of the said lands in fee, and that the said Eliz¬ abeth devised to David Hager one of the Com¬ plainants, one of the said Lots and all the residue of her property comprising the said fourteen hun¬ dred acres, to be sold by her executors and the proceeds after the payment of debts to be divided among the Complainants, but that the whole of said property has been intruded upon by sundry persons and possessed in violation of said trust. That the said Daniel Heister in 1822, procured to be recorded certain pretended deeds of said prop¬ erty for himself and the said Rosannah to W m - Heister in fee, and fox said Wm. Heister to him¬ self in fee, which if ever executed were without consideration covenous and void, and that the said Daniel, pretending to be seized in fee of said lands by virtue of said deeds, died in 1804, without issue, having made a will by which said property is at¬ tempted to be devised to his wife for life, remain¬ der in fee to his three brothers, -John, Gabriel and 68 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD AVilliam Heister, in fee, who and others, claiming under them, intruded upon said lands and kept the complainants, the infants, out of possession. The bill further states that Upton Lawrence and Elizabeth his wife, only child of Jonathan Hager, the younger, in 1810 instituted an action of eject¬ ment in Washington County against the said John, Gabriel and William lleister, for the recovery of the said fourteen hundred acres, in which a ver¬ dict was found on the opinion of the Court and judgment rendered for Defendant, but the said judgment was reversed by the Court of Appeals and on a second trial a verdict was found and judgment rendered for plaintiff, from which the defendants appealed, but while the said appeal was pending, the said parties finding that if the said land should be eventually recovered by the said Lawrence and wife, it would still be subject to the trust vested by the will of the said Rosannah, entered into a compromise of the said suit and appeal with a view to defraud the Complainants, the basis of which was to divide the said property and perfect the said deeds from Daniel Heister and wife to William Heister, and from him to said Daniel, by an n post facto act of the Legislature, and applied to the Legislature for the enactment of a statute for that purpose, and in anticipation thereof, in December 1806, all the said confeder¬ ates executed a deed of said property to Roger B. Taney and Elie Beatty, to lay the same off in Lots and sell the same, for more conveniently carrying the said compromise into effect, and finally suc¬ ceeded in obtaining an act (referred to in the bill,) suited in terms to the object of their conspir¬ acy, and the said suit was reversed by consent in the Court of Appeals, reinstated in the County Court docket, and there entered agreed; and that the said trustees proceeded to sell some of the property and divide the residue between the par¬ ties to said compromise, who afterwards sold out to others, who purchased with full notice of the Complainants’ claim. That the said John, Ga¬ briel and William Heister are dead, leaving certain persons mentioned in the bill, including the absent Defendants, their heirs or devisees, or claiming titles to said property under them. The bill fur¬ ther states, that all the Defendants above enumer¬ ated in the title of this suit, do not reside in the State, and prays that the defendants May be di¬ vested of all title to the said property and com¬ pelled to convey the same to the complainants, and that the trustees under the will of the said Rosannah Heister may be compelled to carry the said trust into effect by a sale of the same, that the Complainants may take the said property or proceeds of the sale at their election, that the Defendants may account with Complainants for the rents, issues and profits of said property, and prays general relief. In Chancery, Jan. 25, 1832. Elizabeth Lawrence, vs. Christian Hager the elder, Robert Hicks and Magdalena his wife, Christian Hager the young¬ er, Upton Lawrence Hager and Catherine Hager, Samuel Heister, David Beaver and Catherine his wife, Ellen Davis, Abraham Lan¬ des and Rachel his wife, Reoecca and Joseph Yanderslice, Mary Leah, John and Henry Heister, Jonathan, Elizabeth, William and Charles Heister, Frederick, John, Mary and William Shultze, Isaac, Catharine E., William Daniel I., and John P. Heister, Edward Climer and Maria his wife, Rebecca Eckart, Juliana and Jonathan- Miller and James R. Riley, and others. The object of the bill filed in this cause is to be put in possession of, and to be paid the rents, issues and profits of fourteen hundred acres.of land and other real estate, in Washington County, in the State of Maryland, which descended to the Complainants. The Bill states, that Jonathan Hager the elder, died intestate in IT75, leaving two Children, Jonathan Hager, Jr., father of the Complainant, who was his heir, and a daughter named Rosanna, afterwards married to Daniel Heister & who died without issue. That he intend¬ ed to have made a will, devising seven hundred acres of land, in Washington County, to the said Rosanna in tail remainder in fee, to the said Jona¬ than Ilagcr the younger, but never perfected it, and after bis death, the said Daniel Heister pre¬ vailed upon the said Jonathan Hager, Jr., to agree in writing, that upon his arrival at age, he would convey fourteen hundred acres of the said land to the said Rosanna. That in IT76 the said Jonathan Hager, Jr., .enlisted in the American Army, was taken prisoner by the British, carried to Halifax and attained the age of twenty years while there in 1777. immediately after which, the said Daniel Heister arrived there, prevailed upon him to convey the said fourteen hundred acres, not to the said Rosanna but to himself in fee, but the said deed being defective, the said Daniel Ob' WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. applied to the Legislature of Maryland to make it valid, but the Legislature in lieu thereof passed a law vesting the same in the said Daniel for life and the remainder in fee in the said Rosanna. That in February 1782, the said Rosanna being deceived by the said Daniel and deluded into the belief that he intended to make a bona.fide Sale of the said property, and remove to Philadel¬ phia, joined with him in a deed thereof to his Brother William Heister, who immediately re¬ conveyed the same to the said Daniel, both of which deeds were inoperative—That the said Jonathan Hager, Jr., being then on his return to Maryland, petitioned the Legislature for an act repealing the aforesaid law which actually passed the House of Delegates, but said Daniel Heister filed a cross petition, in which no mention was made of the said deeds from himself and wife to said William Heister and from William Heister to him, and directing the said Jonathan Hager from his purpose by an offer of a reason¬ able compromise, the said law which would have passed the Senate also, was arrested in that body, of which the said Daniel taking advantage refused to carry the same compromise into effect— That after the law- of 1781, the said Daniel and Rosanna took possession of the said property, and remained in possession thereof until their respect¬ ive deaths, which took place, that of Daniel in 1804 and of Rosanna in 1810; Rosanna hav¬ ing made a will, but by which she did not intend to devise the said property, sup¬ posing that she had been divested of all right in it by the said deed—That immediately after her death, Upton Lawrence, the husband of the complainant, brought an ejectment for the said property against John, Gabariel and William Heister, devisees of the said Daniel, and at the trial thereof, in 1811. the County Court decided, that the said deed from Daniel Heister and wife, to William Heister, was sufficient in law to estop the said Rosanna from claiming the said property, which decision was reversed by the Court of Ap¬ peals, at December term, 1813, by which it was conclusively settled that the said deed was void, and that a fee simple estate in the said property was vested in the Complainant ; accordingly a procedendo having issued, a verdict and judgment was rendered for the plaintiff, from -which the de- fpndnnts annealed, but the same must necessarily have been affirmed but while the cause was denend- ing in the Court of Appeals, the said Upton Law¬ rence, being desirous of holding the said property- in his own right, to which the Complainant -would not consent, agreed with the said defendant to divide the said property, also without her consent; & agreed futher, to apply to the Legislature to con¬ firm the said deeds from Heister and wife, to Wil¬ liam Heister, and from him to said Daniel, and if the Legislature should refuse to confirm them, that the said judgment should be affirmed—That application was accordingly made to the Legisla¬ ture, who passed a law for that purpose, but the purpose was concealed under the guise of a general bill with a general title—That, in further pursu¬ ance of said agreement, the said parties to it applied to the Court of Appeals to revise their for¬ mer decision, which they refusing to do, the cause was “entered reversed by the Court," and in the County Court was entered “agreed"—That while the application to the Legislature was pending, the said Heister conveyed the said property to. Roger B. Taney and Elie Beatty, in trust, which deed was delivered as an escrow to be returned in case the Legislature should refuse to pass the said law —That the said Upton Lawrence died in March, 1824, and that Christian Hager and others claim¬ ing the said property as devisees of Rosanna Heis¬ ter, have filed their bill in this Court against the complainant the heirs of Upton Lawrence and the divisees of Daniel Heister, and those claiming un¬ der them, to which bill she has answered. The Bill then prays that the complainant may be put in possession of her said inheritance thus wrongfully and unjustly detained from her, and that the defendants may account with her for the rents and profits of the same since the death of Upton Lawrence, and prays general relief—The bill further states that all the defendants above enumerated in the title of this suit, reside out of the State of Maryland. Jonathan Hager, Jr., married Mary Madeline Orndorff, daughter of Major Christian Orndorff, who lived near Sharpsburg. She was very beauti¬ ful, and it is said that at the age of fifteen years she rejected Gen. Horatio Gates wdiilc he was a guest at her father’s house early in the Revolution¬ ary War. Jonathan and Mary Madeline nager had one daughter, Elizabeth, who became the wife of Upton Lawrence, a leader of the Hagerstown Bar. Jonathan Hager, Jr., died December 18, 17518. The next issue of the Hagerstown, 'Wash¬ ington Spy" contains this notice: Tuesday, De¬ cember 18, 1798, died, Jonathan Hager, Esq., 70 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD proprietor of this town. He has left, a young widow to lament the loss of an affectionate hus¬ band and an only daughter, a tender and affection¬ ate father. His general character was that of an honest man, a friendly neighbor and a peaceable citizen.” Jonathan Hager's widow was courted by the great lawyer, Luther Martin, but rejected him because of his intemperate habits. She subse¬ quently married Cap I, Henry Lewis., Jlr. and Mrs. Upton Lawrence had nine children. One of them married Robert J. Brent, a distinguished lawyer of Baltimore. One of the daughters married Wil¬ liam Kcvser, of Baltimore. Mr. Robert J. Brent, Jr., and other descendants of Jonathan Hager, living in Baltimore, a few years ago erected a monument to the founder of Hagerstown in Zion Reformed Church yard at Hagerstown. About the time of Jonathan Hager’s death the first school of which we have any record, was established in Washington County. In 1776, Bartholomew Booth, a clergyman of the Church of England, obtained from Lord Baltimore a grant of a tract of twenty acres of land which he called Humpfield. He had come to the county some time before that, but the exact date is not known. Not long afterwards he obtained a large tract, over eleven hundred acres, which he called Dele- mere, on both sides of the Antietam at its junction with Beaver Creek, and here he established a school which soon became widely known as a most excellent one, attracting pupils from many differ¬ ent localities.. Robert Morris wrote to him, in November, 1777, that “the high reputation you have acquired by your institution for the education of youth must naturally create a desire in many parents to have their sons admitted into so prom¬ ising an Academy, and I am amongst those who admire your character and wish my son to partake the advantages of instruction from so accomplish¬ ed a gentleman.” Mr. Morris understood that the number of pupils received was limited and he therefore wrote to make application for the admis¬ sion of his son. At that time, it appears, no school books were published in this country and Mr. Morris was at a loss for some for his son who was not yet eight years old, and was just begin¬ ning the study of Latin. He promised Mr. Booth to send to Europe for some books as soon as pos¬ sible. Benedict Arnold sent his two sons to Mr. Booth’s school in 1779.* Justice Washington of the Supreme Court of the United States also received his eajlier educa¬ tion at Delemere. A portion of the building occu¬ pied by Mr. Booth as a dwelling and school house M still standing. It was built of logs on a *The following letter is preserved by the de¬ scendants of Mr. Booth: Phtla., May 29th, 1779. Dear Sir: Being in daily expectation of sending my sons to you, has prevented my answering your favor of the 2d of Ajpril before. I am extremely happy in committing the care of their Education to a Gentle¬ man so universally esteemed and admired, not in the least doubting your care and attention to them in every particular. Let me beg of you my Dear Sir to treat them in the same manner as you would your own; where they deserve Correction, I wish not to have them spared. They have been for sometime in this City which is a bad School, and my situ¬ ation has prevented my paying that attention to them I otherwise should have done. If they have contracted any bad Habits they are not of long standing, and I make no doubt under your care they will soon forget them. I wish their Education to be useful rather than learned. Life is too short and uncertain to throw away in speculation on subjects that perhaps only one man in ten thousand has a genius to make a figure in. You will pardon my dic¬ tating to you, Sir, but as the fortunes of every man in this Country are uncertain I wish my sons to be Educated in such a manner that with prudence and industry they may acquire a fortune in case they are deprived of their Patrimony as well as to become useful Members of Society. My Taylor has disappointed me and sent home their clothes unfinished. I am therefore under the necessity of sending them undone or detaining the Waggon. I cannot think of doing the latter and must beg the favor of you to procure their clothes finished and some new ones made out of my old ones. I must beg you to purchase any little matters necessary for them. I have enclosed three hundred dollars out of which you will please to give as much to spend as you think Proper, with this condition that they render to you a Regular Account as often as you think necessary of their Expenses, a copy of which I shall expect they will transmit to me, this will learn them Economy and Method so neces¬ sary in almost every thing in Life. If there is any Books wanting I beg you to pur¬ chase them, and whenever you are in want of money to draw on me— I shall expect they will write me frequently— of this they will doubtless want reminding. I have the honor "to be with great respect and esteem Dear Sir Your most obedient Humble Serv’t. Rev’d Mr. Booth. B. ARNOLD. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 71 beautiful eminence overlooking the Antietam and within sound of its rushing waters over the bed of limestone rocks. Later, a large brick residence was built, a portion of the older building being utilized. Mr. Booth not only taught school and man¬ aged his large estate of broad and fertile acres but ministered for a long time to the Episcopalians of the Valley. He was the first, and for some time the only clergyman of that Church in the Valley. A Chapel was built before St. John’s Church in Hagerstown, in what is still called Chapel Woods, near the College of St. James. The spot is marked by a few remaining tombstones which have been tom from the graves they were designed to indicate and the writer saw them not long ago piled up in a fence corner to make room for the plow. This building was stand¬ ing up to about fifty or sixty years ago'; the last interments in the graveyard were those of the Malotte family, who were buried their between 1830 and 1840. CHAPTER VI t HE outbreak of the War of American In¬ dependence found our Valley wonderfully increased in population and wealth. Towns and villages had been laid out, the rich soil had been brought under cultiva¬ tion and the high prairie grass had been turn¬ ed under by the wooden plow of the time. -Roads had been made, and the streams spanned by bridges. The waters of the Antietam and Cono¬ co cheague were turning numerous mill wheels. There was some manufacturing, and two or three iron furnaces were in blast. A considerable trade had sprung up between Hagerstown, which was already the principal town in the Valley and the surrounding country reaching far to the west and into the Valley of Virginia. Among the inhabitants were many who were leading men in the Province, and many who after¬ wards distinguished themselves by fighting their country’s battles, of whom we shall see more later. The people were hard}', brought up to endure hard¬ ship, vigorous in frame, tireless on the march and wonderfully expert in the use of the rifle. No¬ where did patriotic fervor manifest itself more than in Washington County. Possibly the knowl¬ edge that their homes were entirely safe from any visitation or invasion by the British Army may have made them more fearless than they would have been had they been in constant fear of retri¬ bution. But independent of this, there were other causes combining to make our people ardent pa¬ triots. The great mass of them were not of Eng¬ lish blood, and never had any of that feeling of filial affection for the Mother Country which made so many Tories in the eastern part of the of Province. Many of them were the Ssotch-Irish who had been expatriated and brought with them feelings of bitter resentment against England. The life they led, and the Indian fighting many of them had done, fitted them in an eminent degree for the arduous life of the Continental soldier, and enabled them to sustain hardships and want and hunger and cold such as would have demoral¬ ized the armies of almost any nation. The passage of the stamp act, March 22, 1765, at once kindled the patriotic flame in the breasts of our people. At Frederick Town, the stamp distributor was burnt in effigy in August. That 3 r ear the Governor called the Legislature together and among the delegates from this portion of Fred¬ erick County were Joseph Ohapline, the founder of Sharpsburg, a gentleman of wealth and high character and one of the largest landed proprietors in the Valley; and the brave old Col. Thomas Cressap, who had threatened upon a former occa¬ sion to march to Annapolis at the head of his rifle¬ men and bring the Assembly to their senses. It was this Legislature which appointed delegates to the first Continental ^Congress. In November, Court convened at Frederick City. John Darnall, the clerk of the Court, refused to issue any processes or to perform any official act which required the use of stamped paper under the stamp act, he not being provided with such paper. The Court thereupon ordered that all business should be transacted upon unstamped paper re¬ gardless of the act of Parliament and in defiance of it; and that all the officers of the Court should proceed with their avocations as usual. The Court then went on to justify its order, upon the ground 74 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD that there had been no legal publication of the act of Parliament, and further, that there Were no stamps yet to be procured. Darnall still refused to proceed with the business and was thereupon committed to the custody of the sheriff for con¬ tempt of Court. In a short time, however, he sub¬ mitted, paid his fine and was discharged. This defiant action of the Court, which was composed of -twelve Justices, among them being several prominent citizens of the Hagerstown Vafley, caused general rejoicing. It was celebrated in Frederick by an elaborate funeral, the Stamp Act being the corpse. A full description of the cere¬ monies has been preserved in the columns of the Maryland Gazette of December 16, 1765. In May, 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed and in June of the following year the Act of Par¬ liament imposing a tariff tax upon glass, tea, paper, and painters colors was passed. In November, this act went into effect and was immediately followed by the formation of anti-importation societies all through the Provinces, our own community being in no way behind the others in their patriotic de¬ termination to drink no tea. In 1773, Jonathan Hager was elected to the Assembly, and along with the other delegates from Frederick County, signed an address to Charley Carroll of Carrollton, thank¬ ing him for the stand he bad taken'in opposition to the Governor of the Province in his virtual as¬ sumption of legislative powers in endeavoring by proclamation to provide for fees for the support of public offices and of the clergy. The first public meeting of consequence held during the Revolutionary times within the present limits of Washington County, was at Elizabeth Town, July 2, 1771. -Of that meeting the Mary¬ land Gazette gives us the following account: “On Saturday, the 2d of July, 1771, about eight hundred of the principal inhabitants of the upper part of Frederick County, Maryland, assem¬ bled at Elizabeth Town, and being deeply impress¬ ed with a.-fiffise of the danger to which their nat¬ ural and Constitutional rights and privileges were exposed by the arbitrary measures of the British Parliament, do think it their duty to declare publicly their sentiments on so interesting a sub¬ ject, and to enter into such resolutions as may be the means of preserving their freedom. After choosing John Stull, Esq., their Moderator, the following resolves were unanimously entered into: “I. That the act of Parliament for blocking up the harbor of the Town of Boston, is a danger¬ ous invasion of American liberty, and that the Town of Boston is now suffering in the common cause and ought to be assisted by the other Col¬ onies. “II. That the stopping of all commercial intercouse with Great Britain will be the most effectual means for fixing our Liberties on the footing wc desire. “III. That a general Congress of Delegates from the several Colonies to effect a uniform plan of conduct for all America is highly necessary, and that we will strictly adhere to any measure that may be adopted by them for the preservation of our Liberties. «IV. That the surest means of continuing a people free and happy is the disusing all luxu¬ ries, and depending only on their own fields and "flocks for the comfortable necessaries of Life. “V. That they will not, after this day, drink any tea, nor suffer the same to be used in their families, until the act for laying duty thereon be repealed. “VI. That they will not after this day, kill any sheep under three years old. “VII. That they will immediately prepare for manufacturing their own clothing. “VIII. That they will immediately open a subscription for the relief of their suffering brethren in Boston. “After choosing John Stull, Samuel Hughes, Jonathan Hager, Conrad Ilogmire, Henry Sneb- ley, Richard Davis, John Swan, Charles Swearin¬ gen, Thomas Brooke, William McGlury and Eli Williams as a committee they proceeded to show their disapprobation of Lord North’s conduct with regard to America, by hanging and burning his Effigy, after which a subscription was opened for the relief of the Poor of Boston. In consequence of the Fifth Resolve, a number of mercantile Gen¬ tlemen solemnly declared they would send off all the Tea they had on hand, and that they would not purchase any more until the Act laying a duty thereon be repealed, among which- number was a certain John Parks. This John Parks was com¬ pelled by the committee to march bareheaded with torch in hand and set fire to a chest of tea he had imported. The Maryland Gazette of December 22, 1774, gives this account of the affair: “Ten Bunting in Frederick Count //:—The Committee for the Upper part- of Frederick County, Md., having met at Elizabeth Town, on the 26th of November, which was the day appointed for the OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 75 delivery of John Parks’ chest of tea, in conse¬ quence of his agreement published in the Maryland Journal of the 16th pit. “After a demand was made of the same, Mr. Parks offered a chest of tea, found on a certain Andrew Gibson’s plantation, Cumberland County, Pa., by the committee for that place, which tea he declared was the same he promised to deliver. “The committee are sorry to say that they have great reason to believe, and indeed with al¬ most a certainty, that the chest of tea was in Cumberland County at the time Parks said upon oath it was at Chestnut Bridge. “After mature deliberation, the committee were of the opinion that John Parks should go with his hat off, and lighted torches in his hand, and set fire to the tea, which he accordingly did, and the same was consumed to ashes, amongst the acclamation of a numerous body of people. The committee were also of the opinion that no further intercourse should be had with the said Parks. Every friend to liberty is requested to pay due attention to the same. “Voted, the thanks of this committee to that of Cumberland County, for their prudent and spirited behavior upon this occasion. “Signed by order of committee. t> ^ “JOHN STULL, President. “N. B. The populace thought the measures adopted by the committee were inadequate to the transgression, and satisfied themselves by breaking Park’s door and windows.” The appeal for the relief of the people of Boston met with a liberal and prompt response. The Continental Congress which met in Philadel¬ phia September 5, 1774 adopted a plan “for car- rying into effect the non-importation, non-con¬ sumption and non-exportation policy agreed upon. This looked to certain provincial assemblages and the people of Frederick County held a meeting at the Court House in November, and appointed rep¬ resentatives for that County. Among these repre¬ sentatives the following names of citizens of our own County appear: Thomas Cramphin, Jr., Thomas Cressap, Joseph Chapline, Christian Orn- dorff, Jonathan Hager, Conrad Hogmire, Henry Snavely, Samuel Hughes, Joseph Perry, Eli Wil¬ liams. Several of these gentlemen were included in a committee of correspondence. The next move, to which, events had been rap¬ idly hastening, was the arming of the people and the formation of military companies. The Pro¬ vincial convention made the recommendation and also recommended the raising of £10,000 to carry this policy into effect. The amount apportioned to Frederick County was £1,333. On the 24th of January, 1775, another meet¬ ing was held in Frederick City and a committee of observation was appointed, with full powers to carry the resolves of the American Congress and of the Provincial Convention into execution. A committee was also appointed in each “Hundred” to raise the funds expected from the County. For Salisbury Hundred the committee was Jonathan Hager, Henry Snavely and Jacob Sellers. For Sharpsburg, Joseph Chapline and Christian Orn- dorff. For Upper Antietam, Jacob Funk, Conrad Hogmire, Joseph Perry and John Ingram. For Lower Antietam Thomas Hog, Henry Butler and Thomas Cramphin. For Conococheague, David Jones, Isaac Baker and Jacob Friend. For Elizabeth, John Stull Otho Holland Williams, John Swan and John Bench. For Fort Frederick, Ezekiel Cox, A committee was also appointed to contract for powder and lead. It was also resolv¬ ed that “in order that a committee of observation may be more conveniently chosen, and a more proper representation of the people may be had, the several collectors in each Hundred are desired to give notice to those qualified by their estates to vote for Representatives, of some time and place of meeting in the Hundred to elect members for a committee agreeably to the following regulation: When the number of taxables two hundred and amounts to not more than four hundred the District shall elect three members.” These mem¬ bers were to constitute committees of observation for their respective districts, and thereafter the general committee of observation which had been appointed at the former meeting was to dissolve. At this meeting delegates were also appointed to attend a' provinical convention to be held at An¬ napolis thq following October. Among these del¬ egates were Jacob Funk, Joseph Chapline, John Stull and Thomas Cramphin. The final resolution strictly enjoined that no violence be done the person or property of anyone, but that all grounds of complaint be referred to the committee. This Committee of Observation exercised all the functions of government during the turbulant and disorderly times from the date of its organiza¬ tion to the formation of the State Government in 1777. It executed the laws and tried and decided causes. That a committee of citizens, responsible to 76 HISTORY AND BIOGEAPHICAL EECOED no one and with no appeal from their decisions, should have exercised their great powers with such a spirit of moderation and justice and wisdom is enough to give each one of them a distinguished place in the history of the County. The Presi¬ dent of this Committee was John Stull of Hagers¬ town, a man of German birth. His speech was broken English. He was a man of remarkable force of character, of excellent judgment and a strict sense of justice. He became so accustomed to deciding causes and the people became so accus- t timed to looking up to him for guidance with firm confidence in his ability and rectitude, that it seemed the most natural thing that he should be a member of the Court which under the first consti¬ tution was composed of a law Judge and the J us- tices of the Peace, as soon as the County was or¬ ganized. In practice he did great violence to legal distinctions and technicalities in his pursuit of the main question. Many anecdotes are told of him when sitting in judgment in the old Court House, which stood many years ago in the centre of the public square surmounting the Market House. A man was tried before him for stealing a horse. The judge soon found that he was un¬ questionably guilty, but the proof also showed that the offence had been committed on the north side of Mason and Dixon’s line. The prisoner’s coun¬ sel, Mr. John Thompson Mason, of course insisted that the court had no jurisdiction but the Judge insisted that the man was guilty and should be punished. Mr. Mason on his side, insisted that no Maryland authority had any right to inflict the punishment and that if it did so, the man might still be arrested in Pennsylvania and punished there. “We will see about dat” remarked his Honor, as Mr. Mason left the room to fetch his authorities. Upon his return with an armful of books, he found his client tied to the whipping post beneath the Court House and the sheriff lash¬ ing his bare back. He went into the court room in such a passion as the circumstances would war¬ rant but got only scant comfort. Judge Stull coolly informed him that the fellow had without doubt stolen the horse and had been whipped for it and now the thing was over. Associated with Judge Stull on the bench was Chief Justice Clag- ett, a lawyer of ability upon whom devolved all matters requiring any technical knowledge of law. Eli Williams, whose name appears so fre¬ quently among those patriots who were endeavor¬ ing to promote the independence was a younger brother of Gen. Otho Holland Williams. He was a soldier in the Itevolutionary War, and attained the rank of Colonel. He was for many years after the war the clerk of the Circuit Court for Wash¬ ington County, a position in which his son, Otho Holland Williams, succeeded him. One of his daughters became the wife of Chief Justice John Buchanan, and so for many years two brothers, Judges John and Thomas Buchanan, sat together on the bench in Hagerstown, while the father-in- law of the Chief Justice was the clerk of the Court. In the work of enlisting men in the militia companies the Committe of Observation was met by a plea of religious scruples which prohibited many from engaging in war. Thereupon the com¬ mittee determined “that it is highly reasonable that every person who enjoys the benefit of their religion and protection of the laws should contribute either in money or military service.” Accordingly the payment of two shillings and six pence per week was imposed upon all who were prevented by their religious principles from en¬ listing. Upon the arrival of the news of the first conflict with the British troops in the north there was a general movement for enlistment and volun¬ teers came forward with eagerness to serve their country. Of the two companies raised by Fred¬ erick County, then, of course, including Washing¬ ton, Michael Cressap was captain of the first, with Thomas Warren, Joseph Cressap, Jr., and Richard Davis, Jr., lieutenants. Of the second company Thomas Price was captain, and Otho Holland 'Williams lieutenants. These officers were appoint¬ ed by the Committee of Observation. The com¬ panies were to march forthwith and join the Con¬ tinental Army at Boston. A braver, more hardy and more efficient body of men never marched to the defence of their country. Inured to every species of hardship—many of them schooled in the dreadful conflicts of the Indian Wars, skilled in Indian warfare and hardened to Indian discipline, with marvelous skill in the use of their rifles, they gave ample promise of their subsequent brilliant career during the war. Capt. Cressap’* company was composed of a hundred and thirty of these backwoodsmen. They started on their long march to Boston, armed with tomahawk and rifle, dressed in deer skins and moc¬ casins and treading ns lightly as the savages them¬ selves. They needed no baggage train nor equip¬ ments, save their blankets in which they wrap¬ ped themselves at night and then slept around OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 77 their fires as contentedly as if they had been comfortably housed. As they marched to the field they could easily procure game in almost sufficient quantities for their support, and this, along with a little parched corn was the only provision they had. Before marching, these men gave the people of Frederick Town an exhibition of their marksmanship. A man would hold the target in his hand or between his knees for the others to aim at,—such was their confidence in their own skill. Not only did they practice in the ordinary way but assumed various postures, show¬ ing in all circumstances the same skill. These two companies, with Capt. Morgan’s company enlisted in the neighborhood of Shep- herdstown Va., were the first troops from the South to reach the field. A writer, in August, 1775, described them upon their arrival as "re¬ markably stout and hardy men, many of them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts, and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim, striking a mark with great certainty at two hundred yards distance. At a review a company of them, while on a quick advance, fired their balls into objects of seven inches diameter at the distance of two hundred and fifty yards. They are now stationed on our lines, and their shot have frequently proved fatal to British officers and soldiers, who expose themselves to view, even at more than double the distance of common musket shot.” Such a feat with the clumsy rifles of that time was a very different matter from the practice with the improved weapons of today. Nothing could exceed the satisfaction of the com¬ mander-in-chief upon the arrival of this contin¬ gent upon whom he could always rely, part of them coming from his own State. These Mary¬ land troops, with the other companies from this State, were the first and almost the only ones of the Continental Army to cross bayonets with the best veterans of Europe. They charged the British lines with the bayonets a number of times before the end of the war, and when they did so never failed to carry all before them. One of the favorite selections for school dec¬ lamations has always been the speech of Logan, the great Indian chieftain, which he sent by a messenger to be delivered to Lord Dunmore. It is a noble and pathetic appeal. “I appeal to any white man” said Logan, “to say if he ever enter¬ ed Logan’s cabin hungry and he gave him not meat, or if he came cold and naked and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody wnr Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites that «iy countrymen pointed as they passed and said "Logan is the friend of the white man.’ I had even thought to have lived with you but for the injuries of one man, Col. Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This called on me for revenge. I have sought it; L have killed many; 1 have fully glutted my ven¬ geance. For my country 1 rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbor a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one.” Michael Cresap, the youngest son of Col. Thomas Cresap, was the man accused by Logan. He was born in Washington County, then part of Frederick, June 29, 1742. He was only 14 years old at the beginning of the French and Indian War, but before the conclusion he was engaged with his father in the bitter warfare with the In¬ dians where quarter was not asked nor given. In 1774 he went to the Ohio, his father. Col. Thomas Cresap, being associated with Gen. Washing-ton as a member of the Ohio Company. Michael Cre¬ sap established a colony on the river below Wheel¬ ing. Soon afterwards, an Indian war broke out and Cresap took command of the pioneers. He met and defeated-a party of Indians on the river. Later, another party of whites treacherously mas¬ sacred the family of Logan. In his “Notes on Virginia,” published in 1787, Jefferson, referring to this incident, wrote ""Col. Cresap, a man infa¬ mous for many murders he had committed on those much injured people [the Indians] collected a party and proceeded down the Kanhaway in quest of vengeance. Unfortunately, a canoe of women and children with one man onty, was seen coming from the opposite shore, unarmed and unsuspecting an hostile attack from the whites, Cresap and his party concealed themselves on the bank of the river and the moment the canoe touch¬ ed the shore, singled out his objects and at one fire killed every person in it. This happened lo be the family of Logan, who had been distinguish¬ ed as a friend of the w T hites. This unworthy re¬ turn provoked his vengeance. He accordingly sig- 78 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD nalized himself in the war which ensued.” This accusation of Cresap was based upon Logan’s asser> tion that Cresap killed his family. Gen. George Rogers Clark, who afterwards distinguished himself by the conquest of the Illin¬ ois County for the United States and who was with Cresap about this time, wrote in 1798: “The conduct #f Cresap I am perfectly acquainted with; he was not the author of that murder, but a fam¬ ily of the name of Greathouse. But some tranac- tions that happened under the conduct of Capt. Cresap a few days previous to the murder of Logan’s family, gave him sufficient ground to sup¬ pose it was Cresap who had done him the injury.” The question was greatly discussed for many years, especially by the descendants of Michael Cresap, who appear to have effectually proved that it was not Cresap who killed Logan’s family. Michael Cresap went to the Ohio country, not to fight Indians, but to engage in agriculture and to start a settlement. But when the Indians went upon the war path and renewed the horrible atroc¬ ities among the settlers with which Cresap had been familiar in his youth, he naturally became a leader of the forces organized for protection. Governor Dunmore gave him’ a commission as Captain of a militia company from Hampshire County. Upon his return from an expedition into Kentucky he learned that he had been appointed captain of the Maryland riflemen. He returned at once to his native State, led his riflemen through the wilderness, and joined Washington before Boston. After a short period of active ser¬ vice there, he was taken with a fatal malady and obtained sick leave. He started for his home but got no farther than New York, where he died and was buried with military honors in the church yard of old Trinity Church where his monument still stands. Michael Cresap married Miss Whitehead, of Philadelphia. They had three daughters and two sons. The eldest daughter married Luther Mar¬ tin, the great Maryland lawyer. The second daughter married Lenox Martin, brother of Luther and the third married Osborne Sprigg, of Alle¬ gany County. Two of their sons were members of Congress, Michael Cresap Sprigg, from Mary¬ land, and James C. Sprigg, from Kentucky. Michael C. Sprigg was for a time president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. Col. Michael Cftsap’s widow married John I. Jacobs. Their son, J. J. Jacobs, was Governor of West Virginia. The young lieutenant in Capt. Price’s Com¬ pany became one of the distinguished and brilliant officers in the Revolution. Otho Holland Wil¬ liams came of a family which settled in Maryland in the early times of the Province. He was born in Prince George’s County, March 1, 1749. His parents were Joseph and Prudence Holland Wil¬ liams. They died when their son was but 13 years of age. Shortly afterwards he was employed in the clerk’s office of Frederick County and later, in the clerk’s office in Baltimore City. After the Marylanders under Cresap reached Bpston, Capt. Price was soon promoted and Williams succeeded to the command of the Company. At the fall of Fort Washington, on the Hudson river, the Colonel was absent, Lieutenant-Colonel Rawlings was wounded early in the engagement and the com¬ mand of the regiment devolved upon Williams, who after a desperate struggle was compelled to surrender to the British. He was wounded in this engagement, and was afterward a prisoner of war for 15 months in New York, until in 177$ he was exchanged for his friend, Major Ackland, a British officer. On his liberation he was given the command of the Sixth Maryland Regiment. While in captivity he was confined a part of the time in a sugar warehouse, and then in one of the terrible hulks where he was subjected to that cruel treatment under which large numbers of prisoners died. He was Deputy Adjutant-General of the army under Gen. Horatio Gates, took part in the battle of Camden, was appointed adjutant-general under Gen. Nathaniel Green and commanded the rear guard in Greene’s celebrated retreat. At the battle of Eutaw he led. the bayonet charge that swept the field and secured victory for the patriots and was brevetted brigadier-general. Near the close of the war, Williams was sent by Gen. Greene with dispatches to Congress and he was promoted by that body to the rank of brigadier-general. When the war closed, he settled in Baltimore and Was appointed by the Governor of Maryland collec¬ tor of the Port of Baltimore. After the adoption of the Constitution, President Washington con¬ tinued him in that office. While he was collector of the Port, Gen. Williams bought Springfield farm in Washington County and another tract of land at the mouth of the Conpcocheague, where he laid out the town of Williamsport in 1787. Gen. Wil- OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 79 liams died at Woodstock, Va., July 15, 1794, on his way to the Sweet Springs. He was buried in the cemetery at Williamsport overlooking the Po¬ tomac. Here a monument to his memory was erected and in 1905 Congress passed a bill, intro¬ duced by Senator Louis E. McComas, ol Mary¬ land, appropriating $20,000 for' a more suitable monument to the memory of this brave soldier. „ The children of Joseph and Prudence (Hol¬ land) Williams were: Mercy Williams, born in 1746, who married first George Ross and second, John Stull; Otho Holland Williams, born March 1, 1749, died July 15, 1794, (he married Mary Smith, daughter of William Smith); Elie Wil¬ liams, born 1750, who married Miss Barbara Grosh; Cassandra Williams, born 1753, who mar¬ ried Mr. Minor; Priscilla Williams, born 1755, who married Mr. Israel; Sarah Theresa Williams, born 1758, who married Amos Davis; Emelia Wil¬ liams; Cynthia Williams, born 1762. The children of Gen. Otho Holland and Mary (Smith)- Williams were: Robert Smith Williams, who died in childhood; William Eli Williams, who married Susan P. Cooke, daughter of William Cooke, of Baltimore; Edward Green Williams, who married Anne Gilmor, daughter of William Gilmor, a member of the firm of Robert Gilmor & Sons, Baltimore; Harry Lee Williams, who died unmarried; O'tho Holland Williams, -who was thrown from a horse and killed. Edward Greene Williams, second son of Gen. Otho Holland Williams, was born March 23, 1789. He was a gradute of the Princeton University and inherited Springfield. He served with honor as captain of horse in the War of 1812, and was twice delegate from Washington County to the Legis¬ lature. His death occurred February 7, 1829, when he was but 40 years old. His only daughter *William Heyser, Capt.; Jacob Kotz, 1st Lieut.; David Morgan, 1st Sergt.; Jacob Hose, 2d Sergt.; John Jaquet, 3d Sergt.; Jacob Miller, 4th Sergt.; P. Revenacht, 1st Corp.; Bernard Frey, 2d Corp.; Wm. Lewis, 3rd Corp.; John Breecher, 4th Corp.; George Buck, David Morgan, John Michael, Andrew Fuller, Frederick Switzer, James Duncan, John Entier, Wil¬ liam Lewis, Henry Stroam, Melcher Bender, John Breecher, George Wise, Otzen Reeger, Jacob Bishop, George Harmany, John Craft, Peter Fisher, Mathias Dunkle, Stuffle Beever, John Metz, Henry Tomm, George Gitting, Alexander Seller, Peter Gitting, James Furnier, Jacob Pifer, Jacob Klien, John Smithley, John Flick, John Roberston, Thomas Clifton, Nich¬ olas Biard, Henry Stadler, Martin Pifer, Jacob Lowre, Jacob Hoover, John Oster, Drummer; Maurice Power, was Mary Smith Williams, who married the Rev. John Campbell White, D. I)., of Baltimore, brother of ex-Gov. William Pinkney White. Several companies were organized at Eliz¬ abeth Town, some for home duty and some to march to the war. Among the latter was Capt. William Heyser’s Company* which did honorable service in the Continental Army. William Heyser was the first of that name to settle in this County and he came among the first. The building of Zion Reformed Church, in which operation Jona¬ than Hager lost his life, was his work. It was begun before the outbreak of hostilities, inter¬ rupted during Heyser’s absence in the Army, and completed upon his return. A letter from his son, William, dated October 12, 1776, is directed to Capt. Heyser “at the American Camp, Philadel¬ phia.” The letter informs him that William, the writer, and his brother, Jacob, continue at school. It would be interesting to know what school they attended, as we have no record of any school m Hagerstown at that time. It is curious that this letter is dated “Hagerstown” at a time when its name was Elizabethtown and shortly after that name had been bestowed. Another Washington County soldier in the Continenfal Army who became widely known was Captain John Hughes, a member of a distinguish¬ ed family which has been prominent in the Coun¬ ty since its first settlement. Captain Hughes was a son of Barnabas Hughes, a native of Ireland, who come to this country about 1750. He built the Mt. Aetna and other Iron Furnaces in the County and cast many of the cannon used by the Continental Army. Captain John Hughes was the intimate friend of Major Andre’ during his confinement. Peregrine and William Pitzhugh also served Fifer; George Willbelm, Phillip Greechbawn, Chri- tian Sides, Jonathan Heckert, Henry Queer, Philip Revenacht, Francis Myers, Jacob Miller, Michael Weever, Jacob Gross, Conrad Hoyl, John Fogle, Fred¬ erick Fuller, Thomas Burney, Jr., Daniel Jaquet, Michael Yeakly, Barnard Frey, Everhearet Smith, Michael Gambler, Jacob Belshoover, John Smith, Peter Sheese, Henry Wagoner, Frederick Locher, Tobias Friend, George Miller, John Kibler, Godfrey Young, John Rhods, Wentle Strayley, Adam Leiser, Mathies Gieser, Simon Fogler, Stuffle Waggner, John Crapp, John Shoemaker, Jacob Hose, Philip Fisher, Henry Benter, John Hattfield, Jacob Heffner, George Biggleman, Robert Hardness, Jacob Great- house, Adam Stonebrake, John Armstrong, Henry Michael. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD with credit in the Revolutionary War. They were sons of Col. Wm. Fitzhugh a retired officer of the British Army, who removed to this County from the shores of the Patuxent at an early date. He was the ancestor of a large and honorable and leading family in this County. Perry Benson, wdio attained the rank of Major General in the United States Army, and who distinguished himself in the campaign in the Southern States, and afterwards in the war with the British in 1812, was another of the brave officers furnished by Washington County for the service of their native land in the struggle for freedom. Col. Henry Gaither, a captain in the Revolu- itonary Army, was father of H. H. and Edward Gaither, both at one time residents of Hagerstown. The former, up to the time of his death. Major Gaither commanded a battalion from Hagerstown, Md., in the levies of 1791, in Darke’s Regiment, under Maj. Gen. St. Clair, against the Miami Indians. He was afterwards major in the Regu¬ lar Army—3rd Sub. Legion in 1792, and Lt. Col. in 1793. He left the service in 1802. The nearest approach our County had to a Extracts from the minutes of the Committee of Safety: “The committee met according to adjournment. Present, Joseph Smith, Esq., in the chair; Samuel Hughes, Secretary; James Smith, C. Orendorff, Z. Cox, C. Swearingen, Capts. Hager and Stull, C. Hog- mire, G. Zwingly, J. Sellars, W. Yates, W. Rench and W. Baird. “It appears to this committee (from the repre¬ sentation of some of the members who have endeav¬ ored to get their neighbors to enroll in companies of militia) that the greatest number refuse in conse¬ quence of several religious sects being excepted by the resolves of the convention. “Resolved, That this committee is of opinion that it is highly reasonable that every person who enjoys the benefit of their religion and protection of the laws of this free country ought to contribute, either in money or military service, towards the de¬ fence of these invaluable rights. “Resolved, That two shillings and six pence, currency per week (for all those who are constrain¬ ed by religious principles from contributing their proportion in military service) would be equal to mustering, agreeable to the directions of the conven¬ tion. “Resolved, That a remonstrance lib sent to the next convention, setting forth the cause and sub¬ stance of the above resolve. “Ordered, That the commissioned officers of the militia companies in this district attend at Elizabeth Town on the third Monday of this month, in order war was the confinement of a number of British prisoners in Port Frederick, and the arrest near Hagerstown of Dr. John Connelly, a tory of Pennsylvania, with a party on the way to the Western frontier. They bore a commission from Lord Dunmore to form an army to the westward and to march back through Washington and Fred¬ erick Counties and cut off communication between the American forces in the North and South. Connelly's papers were so carefully concealed that they were not discovered, but in his fright he acknowledged his mission. After being detained for some time in Frederick, the party was sent to Philadelphia. Hagerstown was occupied by sol¬ diers as winter quarters in 1778. During the war, Washington County furnished a considerable quantity of wheat for the support of the army, and a number of purchasing agents was always busy buying from the farmer. Daniel and James Hughes were actively en¬ gaged in casting cannon at the Antietam Iron Works near Sharpsburg and it is not unlikely there were several powder mills within the County. A number of small woolen factories supplied many blankets for the use of the soldiers. to vote for persons to be recommended to the coun¬ cil of safety, as field officers. “The committee met acording to adjournment. Present, John Stull, Esq., in the chair; Samuel Hughes, secretary; George Zwingley, James Smith, J. Rench, C. Orendorff, C. Swearingen and W. Rench, Capt. Hager, W. Baird, John Sellars, Z. Cox. “On a motion being made and seconded, it was “Ordered, That a letter should be written to the committe of correspondence in the middle district, that it is the opinion of this district that the battal¬ ion of minute-men for this county would receive great advantage by being kept together and in¬ structed, and that this committee are desirous such a plan should be adopted, and that a meeting of the three districts of this county would be advisable; and, in case such meeting should be appointed, Messrs. James Smith and Samuel Hughes are ap¬ pointed to attend at said meeting, with full power to act for this committee in the aforesaid business. “Ordered, That all those who have enrolled with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Dement, do join and form one company, and immediately proceed to the choice of officers. “On motion of Mr. Thomas Trink, Sr., of Upper District of Frederick County, that he hath been often jostled by the residents of upper part of Frederick County by refusing to pay their public dues, it is of the opinion and advice of this committee that they ought to pay their levies and all their public dues for the support of the civil government. “A motion being made by a member of the com- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 81 mittee, that as sundry companies of militia that are not yet made up and ordered according to the direc¬ tions of the Provincial convention and as the num¬ bers of the said companies appointed to be raised do not amount to make up two battalions, it is “Resolved by the committee, in order to satisfy the populace, that an election be held for the Hag¬ erstown battalion on the 22d day of October, 1775, and for the lower battalion on the 30th day of Octo¬ ber; and that the said lower battalion shall transmit a full and clear copy of their election to the com¬ mittee of correspondence for the said district, in order that they may transmit the same to the Coun¬ cil of Safety of this province that they may take order there in. “The committee met on the 11th of November, 1776, Col. Joseph Smith in the chair. “Agreed, That Capts. Stull, Hogmire, Baker, Rench, Hughes, Kershner, Shryock, Clapsaddle, be the first battalion; Capts. Orendorff, Shelley, Wil¬ liams, Davis, Smith, Demond, Swearingen, Walling, be the second battalion. “Whereas it hath been represented to this com¬ mittee by Mr. John Swan that his character has been much aspersed by a certain John Shryock as having said that he suspected the said Mr. Swan of having been an enemy to America, the said John Shryock being called to this committee, and making nothing appear against him, the said John Swan is honorably acquitted by this committee of said charge. “At the meeting of the committee on the 20th of November, 1775. Present, Mr. James Smith, pres¬ ident; Messrs. Stull, Baird, Swearingen, A. Rench, Zwingly, John Rench and S. Hughes, Doct. John C- [Connolly], of Fort Pitt, and certain persons called Doctor S-- [Smith], and M. C-— [Cameron], were bro’t before the committee and ac¬ cused of being inimical to the liberties of America. “Resolved, Unanimously, That the aforesaid Doc¬ tor S- and M. & -being found guilty of many equivocations and coming in company with the aforesaid Doct. C- from the dangerous councils of Lord Dunmore, that it is the opinion of this committe that the said S- and - shall be sent to the Council of Safety or convention for further enquiry. The committee adjourns till the 1st Monday in December. “The committee met accordingly. Present, Mr. Jos. Smith in the chair; Christian Orendorff, John Rench, Andrew Rench, C. Swearingen, George Zwing¬ ly, S. Hughes, B. Yorder, the committee appointed Daniel Heaster to arbitrate and award on an affair of controversy now depending betwixt William Sitzter and Christian Sneckenberger, in the room of Capt. Jonathan Hager, dec’d. “Ordered, That Samuel Hughes and Andrew Rench do attend at Mr. Harry’s on Thursday next, in order to receive the accounts of necessaries sup¬ plied to the rifle companies, and transmit the same to the treasurer in Philadelphia for payment. “December the 18th, 1775, the committee met; Jos. Smith in the chair. Christian Orendorff, Andrew W. Rench, George Zwingley, John Rench, John Sel¬ lars, Conrad Hogmire. “Agreed, That Capt. Shryock is to have one pound powder and four pounds lead, for which he was out in taking C-. “Agreed, That each captain of the two battal¬ ions is to have two pounds of powder and six pounds of lead, to be applied only to the public in case of an invasion, and to be returned if demanded. “Agreed, That if Capt. H»- comes home be¬ fore the - day of January next, and does not come to this committee upon the complaint of Lieut. William Hyer, Adam Smith and John Oster, he will then be sent for. “The committee was called on the 10th of Jan¬ uary, 1776, Samuel Hughes in the chair. “Capts. Hogmire, Smith, Swearingen and Rench, and Messrs. Zwingly, Sellars, John Rench. Dr. S- who made his escape from Frederick Town, was brought before the committee, and several letters of consequence from Dr. C- to the enemies of America in the back country were found with him. “Resolved, That the said Dr. S-be sent under safe guard to the Congress. “The committee met. according to adjournment, January 15. Present, Joseph Smith in the chair; John Rench, C. Hogmire, James Smith, A. Rench, John Sellars, C. Orendorff, G. Zwingley, S. Hughes. “Ordered, That Henry Yost be supplied with six pounds of powder to prove his muskets with. “The committee met according to adjournment, on Monday, Feb. 5, 1776. Present, John Stull, Esq., in the chair; A. Rench, John Sellars, C. Hogmire, C. Swearingen, G. Zwingley, Samuel Hughes, John Rench, E. Cox, Wm. Yates, Wm. Baird. “Ordered, That Thomas Brooke be clerk to this committee. The committee proceed to the trial of Capt. S. H-, and after examination of evidence, do honorably acquit him, they not being able to make anything appear against him. Henry Y- having been charged with making use of or selling the pow¬ der allowed him by this committee to prove his muskets, is honorably acquitted, as he has fully sat¬ isfied the committee he is clear of the charge. “Ordered, That Basil Prather be recommended by this committee as a captain, and Henry Prather as lieutenant, to the Continental Congress. “The committee met, according to adjournment, the 19th of February. Present, Maj. Joseph Smith, in the chair; Col. John Stull, Mlajs. C. Swearingen and A. Rench, Capts. J. Sellars, C. Orendorff, C. Hog¬ mire, Mr. John Rench. “Capt.John Sellars and Lieut. M. Laughin ap¬ pointed to enquire what number of the country s arms are either in the hands of Capt. Baker, and to know what order they are in. “Ordered, That Capt. S. Hughes have nine pounds of powder to prove one of the cannon. “Ordered, That Mr. Moses Chapline be recom¬ mended by this committee to the Continental Con¬ gress as of fit person to take the command of a com¬ pany as captain in the service of his country. “Ordered, That Lieut. Col. Smith, of the Thirty- sixth Battalion, be recommended to the Council of Safety or Convention of this Province as first colonel to said battalion in place of Col. Beall, who has refused his commission; and Capt. Orendorff as lieutenant colonel to said battalion, and Jno. Rey- 82 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD nolds,* captain, and George Keefer first lieutenant to Capt. Orendorff's company. “The committee met according to adjorunment,. the 4th March, 1776. Present, Capt. Conrad Hogmire in the chair; Col. John Stull, Capt. J. Sellars, John Rench, Capt. Samuel Hughes, Col. A. Rench, G. Zwingly. “Ordered, That the following persons hand about the Association papers: Thomas Brooke, George De- mont, John Charlton, Joshua Barnes, Jas. Walling, J. Rench, J. Sellars, David Jones, John Bonett, J. Stull, Samuel Hughes, Peter Shelley, Daniel Perry, John Reynolds. “Ordered, That the Captains of each hundred take an Association paper and present to the inhabi¬ tants of their hundred for signing, and make an ex¬ act account of those that sign and those that refuse, with their reasons for refusing Conococheague hun¬ dred excepted. David Jones, J. Barnett, Balsar Moudy, and Matthias Pots being appointed for that purpose. “Ordered, That Col. J. Stull, Capt. S. Hughes and Col. Joseph Smith be judges of the election for the choice of six members in the place of Capt. Hager, (deceased), Col. Samuel Beall, Col. Thomas Cresap, Mr. Joseph Chapline, (who refused), Messrs. Cox and William Yates, who are taken into the upper hundred. “Ordered, That Henry R- be kept under guard of six men until sent to the Council of Safety for trial; but, In case he shall sign the Association, enroll into some company, ask pardon of this com¬ mittee, and give good security for his good behav- ion in future, to be released. “Ordered, That the Sheriff of Frederick County obtain a general warrant on his list of public levys and clergy for last year. "In consequence of the preceding letter (a letter from Daniel of St. Thomas, Jenifer setting forth the needy condition of the people of Boston) from the honorable to the Council of Safety of this Prov¬ ince, we have, agreeably to their request, furnished them with what quantity of blankets and rugs the inhabitants of this district can with any convenience spare, and a price estimated on them by this com¬ mittee as follows: (Here follows a list of persons contributing blankets and money. The following are the contributors:) Wm. Baird, John Parks, Andrew Rench, Simon Myer, Philip Rymeby, Geo. Fry, Felty Safety, Joseph Birely, Richard Davis, Thomas Prather, Ch’n Rohrer, Leonard Shryock, Robert Guthrie, Christian Miller, Jacob Prunk, Jacob Rohrer, Ellen Miller, Chas. Swearingen, Ch’n Eversole, John Ingram, Adam Grimes, Wm. Douglas, Matthias Need, Michael Ott, John Feagen, Jeremiah Wells, Joseph Rench, Zach'h Spires, Matthias Nead, Henry Startzman, George Swingly, George Hoffman, Jacob Brumbaugh, Michael Miller, George Hartle, John Rolter, Christ’n Burgard, Jacob Good, John Rench, John Stull. “Received of Conrad H. Sheitz forty-four blank- *Captaln John Reynolds was soon afterwards killed on the Ohio river and his family taken captive by the Indians. ets for the use of this Province, which were deliver¬ ed him by the committe of observation of Elizabeth- Town district. “Received by me this 12th day of April, 1776. “GEORGE STRICKER.” Col. John Stull received the remaining seven blankets, for the use of the Province. Col. Stull de¬ livered 112 lbs. Powder (belonging to the public) to Capt. Burger in order to prove the cannon at D. and S. Hughes’ Works. “Ordered, That the said quantity remain in the possession of D. & S. Hughes until this committee gives further order thereon. “The committee met according to adjournment. Present, Col. Samuel Beall in the chair; Joseph Smith, John Keller, Mich’l Fockler, Wm. Heyser, John Stull, Henry Shryock, A. Rench, Christian Lantz, G. Zwingly, J. Rench, Conrad Hogmire. “The committee orders that Major Henry Shryock and Capt. Michael Fockler shall receive of Mr. Daniel Heister what money is in his hands, for arms and other necessaries purchased here for Capt. Mich’l Cresap’s company, signed and ordered by the com¬ mittee. “April the 29, 1776, the committee met according to adjournment. Present, Col. J. Smith, Geo. Swing¬ ly, S. Hughes, Wm. Baird, John Rench, Sam’l Beall, Jr., C. Swearingen, Ch’n Lantz, Wm. Heyser, Chris¬ tian Orendorff, John Sellars, John Stull, Conrad Hog¬ mire, Samuel Beall, Jr., chosen chairman, apd James Clark appointed clerk. Appeared Maj. Henry Shry¬ ock and Joseph Chapline. “Resolved, That this committee do pay the clerk seven shillings and six pence for each day that he shall attend, and that he consider himself under the ties of honor not to disclose or reveal the secrets of said committee. “Resolved, That the several returns of the non- enrollers and non-associators be considered [here follow sundry lists of the names of persons who refused to enroll or associate]. On motion, that the committee sit at Sharpsburg once in three times, the committee concurs therewith. “May 7 the committee met according to adjourn¬ ment. Members present. Col. S. Beall in the chair; Andrew Rench, G. Chaplin, Henry Shryock, C. Hog¬ mire, S. Hughes, Wm. Heyser, John Sellars, Chas. Swearingen, George Swingly, John Stull, James Clark, continued as clerk. It was resolved that no personal disputes and reflections should pass in com¬ mittee. No questions to be put and voted to with¬ out a motion being made and seconded. The com¬ mittee adjourn. “Resolved, That consideration be had of the summonses issued at the last committee for the ap¬ pearance of sundry persons before them this day, to show cause why they did not enroll and associ¬ ate, and deliver up their arms, in which the commit¬ tee concurred, and proceeded to examine the returns masje thereon, when it appeared that sundry persons had due notice accordingly, and were called in turn. “And that such as have appeared not, or are not able to give any satisfactory reasons to this com¬ mittee, why they did not or do not enroll and associ¬ ate, and deliver up their arms, according to the OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. resolve of the late convention in December last, be fined and proceeded against. “Wednesday, 8 May, 1776. The committee met according to adjournment—all the members present as on yesterday, except Capts. Hughes, Hogmire and Sellars. Appeared Mr. John Rench. “Ordered, That sundry persons do pay the sums annexed to their names in one month from the date hereof, and deliver up their fire arms immediately, if they have any, except pistols, to the several per¬ sons appointed to receive the same.” [Here follows a long list of names, with fines annexed.] “This day Col. J. Stull made known, to this committee that he received from the treasurer, Thomas Harwood, by order of the Council of Safety, £ 137.8s. 6d. current money, it being the sum due for 51 blankets purchased by the committee for the use of the Province, by order of the Council of Safety. “Ordered, That Captains James Walling, P’r. Reed, Basil Williams, Michael Fockler, Martin Kersh- ner, John Sellars, S. Hughes and C. Hogmire be em¬ powered by warrant to receive the sundry sums of money heretofore.assessed by this committee against the several persons, as per lists to be made and an¬ nexed thereto, who have not enrolled, and the fire arms they may have from those who have not asso¬ ciated, agreeably to the resolution of this convention in December last, within each of their districts, ter be made out in the form following: “ ‘You are hereby authorized or empowered to receive from sundry persons the sums of money an¬ nexed to each of their several names, as per lists hereunto annexed, at the end of one .month from the date hereof, and such fire arms immediately, except pistols, that are or may be in their possession, or otherwise may be their or either of their properties, whenever found, and make the return thereof; to sit the next after the time aforesaid, being the sums levied and assessed upon them and each of them for not enrolling and associating, agreeably to the con¬ vention of December last, and this shall be your authority. Given under my hand this 8 of May, 1776, by order of the committee.’ “The above warrant, with the separate lists of names and sums annexed to the several gentlemen appointed for that purpose, to be by them collected, agreeably to the order of the committee.” CHAPTER VII W ASHINGTON County is just two months and two days younger than the State of Maryland. By the Declaration of Inde¬ pendence, made in Philadelphia July 4th, 1776, the Province became a State. On July 6, before the Maryland convention in session at Annapolis had received the great news from Philadelphia it passed resolutions declaring the allegiance of Maryland to the mother county was at an end. This had gathered as a provincial assembly, but before its adjournment it called the first State Convention which assembled at Annapolis, August 14, 1776, two weeks after the Colonial Convention had dissolved itself. No executive and no legislative body was yet in ex¬ istence and the functions of government were ex¬ ercised by the committee of safety. The fourteenth day of August, 1776 is therefore a memorable date in the State’s history. In the new convention each County had four delegates except Frederick and to it were appointed twelve, four from each of the *The following is the resolution as far as it re¬ lates to Washington County: “Whereas, It appears to this convention that the erecting two new counties out of Frederick County will conduce greatly to the ease and convenience of the people thereof; “Resolved, That after the first day of October next such part of the said county of Frederick as is contained within the bounds and limits following, to-wit: Beginning at the place where the temporary line crosses South Mountain, and running thence by a line on the ridge of the said mountain to the River Potowmack, «and thence with the lines of said districts now composing Frederick and Montgom¬ ery Counties, and four from the territory west of the South Mountain, a territory which the con¬ vention proceeded to erect into a County which received the name of the great man who had taken the office of commander-in-chief of the Patriot Army, the immortal Washington. Four delegates to this first State convention sent from this district, were Samuel Beall, Samuel Hughes, John Stull and Henry Schnebly. These delegates carried with them petitions for the laying off the new county. Up to July 1775, Fredericktown was the voting place for all the territory now forming the Sixth Congressional District. At that time Eliz¬ abethtown was designated by the Provincial con¬ vention as the voting place for all the State west of South Mountain, now r the three western coun¬ ties. On the 6th day of September, which is the birthday of Washington County, the convention passed the resolution setting off Washington and Montgomery Counties.* county so as to include all the lands westward of the line running on the ridge of the South Mountain, as aforesaid, to the beginning, shall be and is hereby erected into a new county by the name of Washing¬ ton County. “Resolved, That the inhabitants of said county of Washington shall have, hold and enjoy all such rights and privileges as are held and enjoyed by the inhabitants of any county in this State. “Resolved, That Messrs. Joseph Sprigg, Joseph Smith, John Barnes, Andrew Rench, Daniel Hughes, William Yates and Conrad Hogmire shall be and are HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD After the new County was duly formed and named the next and first important matter to be settled was the place for the County seat. This was to be determined by a vote of the duly qualified voier.- of the County. Elizabethtown was desig¬ nated the place for holding the polls. For this honor, which seemed itself to indicate the place of the County seat, Mr. Funk’s town ot Jerusalem, now known as Funkstown, was the only contestant. Mr. Funk went diligently to work circulating petitions among his fellow citi¬ zens, and obtaining signatures, asking the conven¬ tion to bestow this mark of distinction upon his promising little town, far more beautiful and judiciously located than its rival. Mr. Funk, like those who have circulated petitions in later years, had no manner of difficulty in obtaining all the signatures that he wanted; but in the mean¬ time the personal influence with members of the convention of General Daniel Heister and other leading citizens interested in Elizabethtown, hereby appointed commissioners for Washington County; and they; or the major part of them, shall be and are hereby authorized and required to buy and purchase in fee a quantity of land not exceeding four acres; at or adjoining such place as a majority of voters within the limits of said county, qualified at this convention, shall hereafter direct, the election to be held at the place heretofore appointed for the choosing of delegates in this convention (the said commissioners giving ten days’ notice of the place and time of voting) for the purpose of building thereon a Court House and prison for the said coun¬ ty; and shall cause said land to be laid out by the surveyor of Frederick County, with good and suffic¬ ient boundaries, and a certificate thereof to be returned and recorded in the records of said county; and the said commissioners or a major part of them, shall draw their order on the Sheriff of Washington County to .pay such sum as shall be agreed upon for the said land, and the Sheriff is hereby directed and required to pay the said order out of the money here¬ after mentioned, to be collected by him for that pur¬ pose; and such payment for the land shall invest the Justices of Washington County and their successors with an estate in fee simple therein for the use of the said county forever; and if the said commission¬ ers, or a major part of them, and the owner of the said land shall differ about the value of the said land, in such case the commissioners or the major part of them, shall be and they are hereby authorized and empowered to order the Sheriff of Washington Coun¬ ty to summon twelve freeholders upon the said land who shall be empowered and sworn as a jury to "inquire the value of said land; and the said commis¬ sioners, or the major part of them, shall draw their order on the Sheriff of Washington County to pay the said valuation; and the said Sheriff is hereby directed to pay the said order out of the money carried off the coveted prize for that town. The people living west of Sideling Hill objected strong¬ ly to being compelled to come all the way to Hag¬ erstown to vote and their petition asking for a polling place at Skipton or Old Town for two days and after the election was over, the judges for the western part of the County, now Allegany and Garrett Counties, should meet the Elizabeth¬ town judges at the latter place, and ascertain the result of the election. The judges of election at the Elizabethtown polls were Joseph Smith, Noah Ilart and Eli Williams. The voting was viva voce and lasted several days. The result of the election was a triumph for Elizabethtown and it was to be the County seat. It was this result that settled the destiny of these two towns so near to each other and at the time so nearly of the same size. For if the result of that election had been different Jerusalem would have been the city and Elizabeth¬ town still a village. The machinery for the County government hereafter mentioned, to be by him collected f,or that purpose; and upon his payment of the said order the fee simple in the said land shall be invested, as afore¬ said, in the Justices of Washington County and their successors for the use of the said county forever.*** “Resolved, That the Justices of Washington County, or the major part of them, be and they are hereby authorized to contract and agree for a con¬ venient place in the said county to hold the Courts for the said county, and to contract and agree for a convenient place, in the said county for their books, papers and other records, and also for a fit building for the custody of the prisoners; and the said Couit shall be held and records kept at such place until the Court House and prison for the said county shall be erected and built; and the charge and ex¬ pense of such place shall be defrayed by the said county, and assessed with the public and county levy. “Resolved, That the Justices of the said county shall be, and they are hereby authorized and re¬ quired to assess and levy on the taxable inhabitants of the said county, with the public and county levy, as much money as will pay for the purchase on valuation of the land aforesaid, together with the Sheriff’s salary of such percentum as may be here¬ after allowed for collection of the same, which said sums shall be collected by the Sheriff of the said county from the inhabitants of the said county, in the same manner as other public and county levies may be by law hereafter collected; and the said money, when collected, shall be paid by the Sheriff to such person or persons as the commissioners aforesaid, or the major part of them, shall order and direct. “Resolved, That the Justices of Washington County shall be and they are hereby authorized and required to assess and levy, by three equal assess¬ ments, in the year of 1777, 1778 q,nd 1779, with their OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 87 had to be .formed and set in motion. Tlie first sitting of the County Court was to be held the fol- following March. In tlie meantime the Court of Frederick County was to have jurisdiction. But writs to be issued after December 1st, against defendants residing in the new county should be directed to the Sheriff of that County and made returnable to the March term. The Justices of the Peace and other officers of Frederick County residing in the territory of the new county were continued in position as officials for the new county. The Justices of the Peace were to con¬ stitute the County Court. The first County Court: for Washington County, under this resolution was composed of Samuel Beall, John Stull, Joseph Sprigg, Samuel Hughes, Henry Schnebly, Joseph Chapline, John Bainor, Richard Davis, Andrew Bruse, Andrew Reach, William Yeates, Lemuel Barrett, Thomas Cramphin Christopher Crune, John Cellar. The office of Justice of the Peace of that day was an highly honorable one, and all those named were leading citizens of the commun¬ ity. Samuel Beall, Andrew Bruse and several others belonged to the western portion of the County, now Allegany. John Stull and Samuel Hughes have already been mentioned. Joseph Chapline was one of the largest landed proprietors in the County and well known as the founder of Sharpsburg. This OoTOiy Court ex¬ pounded the law and meted out justice in the quaint old Court House which was soon erected in the middle of the public square, mounted up on stilts, giving space beneath it for the town Mar¬ ket and the whipping post and stocks. A short distance to the northwest in the alley between Franklin and Washington streets stood the County Jail, a small log building without windows and with a door thickly studded with wrought nails, giving it the appearance of that strength which was probably, in fact, wanting. It was no part of public and county levy, any sum not exceeding thirteen hundred pounds common money in and upon the inhabitants of Washington County, together with Sheriff’s salary, of such a percentum as may be hereafter allowed for collection of the same; which said sum, so to be assessed and levied, shall be collected by the Sheriff of Washington County from the inhabitants thereof, in the same manner as other public and county levies shall be hereafter by law collected, and the sai'd money, when collected, Bhall be paid by the said Sheriff to the commissioners of Washington County aforesaid, and shall be by them applied toward building the Court House and prison in the said county. *** “Resolved, That the commissioners of the county, or the major part of them, shall be and they are hereby authorized and required to contract and agree for the building of the said Court House and prison on the land to be purchased as aforesaid* “Resolved, That all causes, pleas, processes and pleadings which are now or shall be pending in Frederick County Court before the first day of De¬ cember next shall and may be prosecuted as effect ually as they might have been had these resolves never been made; and in case any deeds or convey¬ ances of land in Washington County have been, or shall be before the division aforesaid, acknowl¬ edged according to law in Frederick County, the enrollment and recording thereof within the time limited by law, either in the County Court of Fred¬ erick County or in the County Court of Washington County, shall be good and available, the division aforesaid notwithstanding. “Resolved, That executions or other legal pro¬ cess upon all judgments had and obtained or to be had on actions already commenced, o-r to be com¬ menced before the 1st day of December next, in Frederick County Court against any inhabitant of Washington County, be issued and enforced in the same manner as if these resolves had not been made; which said writs shall be directed to the Sheriff of the said county, and the said Sherfiff is hereby authorized and directed to serve and return the same to the Frederick County Court, with the body or bodies of the person or persons, if taken against whom such writ or writs shall issue for that purpose, and during the attendance of the Sheriff of Wash¬ ington County at Frederick County Court he shall have power to confine in the Frederick County jail, if he shall think it necessary, such persons as ne shall have in execution; but after his attendance shall he dispensed with by the said Court, he shall then, in a reasonable time, remove such persons as he shall have in execution to his county jail, there .to be kept until legally discharged. “That the public and county levy now assessed or levied or to be levied and assessed by the Justices of Frederick County Court, at their levy court for the present year, shall and may be collected and received by the Sheriff of Frederick County as well of the inhabitants of Frederick County as of Wash¬ ington County aforesaid, and collected and accounted for, applied in such a manner as the said public and county levy would have been collected, accounted for and applied had these resolves never been made. “Resolved, That the County Court of Washington County shall begin and be held yearly on the 4th Tuesdays of those months in which other County Courts are held, and shall have equal power and jurisdiction with any County Court in this State.” The words “Montgomery County” which county was created by the same set of resolutions, accom¬ pany the words “Washington County,” all through hut have been omitted here. HISTORY AND BIOGEAPHICAL RECOKD the duties of the Sheriff to take charge of this jail or to be responsible for the prisoners it con¬ tained. All that was in the hands of a jailor. The office of Sheriff was one of great dignity and included that of tax collector and financial agent of the County. The County was of course not di¬ vided into election precincts or districts as at present, there being but a single polling place for all the voters within the limits of the present County. But for purposes of apportionment and for other purposes there were subdivisions into Hun¬ dreds. There was Salisbury Hundred, Sharpsburg Hundred, Upper Antietam Hundred Lower Antiet- am Hundred, Conococheague Hundred, Marsh Hundred, Fort Frederick Hundred, Elizabethtown and Elizabeth Hundred. There was an urgent and immediate necessity for funds. There was • no treasury and money had to be obtained to erect public buildings, a Court House and .Jail, to pay salaries and for various other important purposes. An Assessor was required in each hundred and it is a curious circumstance that on the first Court docket, or docquette as it is spelled in those early records, next to the prosecutions for selling liquor “above rates'" the most frequent one against per¬ sons for contempt of court in refusing to act as assessors in different districts. The lines and penalties were generally imposed in tobacco, at that time and for many years afterwards, exten¬ sively given within the County. Its cultivation gradually died out, but lingered longest in Pleasant Valiev, where many now living can remember some remnants or relies af the industry. Where tobacco was not usecl for the standard of valuation the English money was used and even after the adop¬ tion of the Federal Constitution for some years dollars and cents did not appear on the Court minutes. After the “upper District of Frederick Coun¬ ty” had attained the dignity of being a county the first consideration was to procure a Court Han« as speedily as possible. The resolution of the convention already quoted had designated the method of procuring the necessary funds and the County Commissioners therein named immediately set about to erect the building. The work was: done in the excitement of the Revolutionary War or immediately following the restoration Of peace. The amount of money raised for the purpose was not large so the building, although of brick, was not durable nor well constructed for we find that in 181 fj, when it whs only thirty or thirty-five years old, it was in a state of ruinous decay and entirely unsafe as a depository for the public records. The site selected was a remarkable one, the centre of the public square where it was impossible to obtain suitable space for a commodious building without obstructing the two principal highways of the town, which indeed it did although it was complained of as being too small and also as being injurious- to the appearance of the town. There can be little doubt that it was a nuisance for it was not only an unsightly obstruction but the open market space under it was used as a place for hitching horses and it also contained the whipping¬ post, an institution frequently brought into ser¬ vice. All this was probably greatly annoying to the people whose residences immediately fronted on the square and whose fronts were crowded by the Court House. Among these were Jonathan Hager’# stone house at the northeast corner of the square, inhabited after his return from the war by Jonathan Hager, Jr., and his beautiful young wife, Mary Madeline, the daughter of Major Chris¬ tian Orndorlf and later on by Col. Henry Lewis, who married Mr. Hager’s widow. This old build¬ ing was torn down within late years to give place to a three-story brick house now used as a store. Diagonally across the square from the Hager res¬ idence lived old Jonathan Hager’s only daughter the sister of Jonathan Hager, Jr., Rosanna, who married General Daniel Heister. Their res¬ idence still stands, although its surroundings have sadly changed and its dignity is gone. But it is apparent that onc-e it was a handsome residence. It is finished inside in hard wood in the best pos¬ sible taste, which soye later owner has in the worst possible taste, hid under thick coats of paint. General Heister was a man of wealth and was liberal in his expenditures and hospitality. In the rear of the house, extending along Washington street to the Bank alley was the garden, beautifully cultivated and filled with the finest flowers which Mrs. Heister delighted in attending. General Heister was closely identified with all public affairs for a considerable number of vears and his name constantly occurs in contemporary history. He was elected to Congress in 1802 a nd died the fol¬ lowing year before the expiration of his term. The garden re I erred to above was entered from Washington street through an imposing gateway between the two massive gate posts. In 1885 whilst digging the foundations of the large build¬ ing which now adjoins the old Heister mansion in Washington County Orphans Zion Lutheran Church, Williamsport. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. the rear, a portion of one of these posts was dug up, full five feet under the pavement and amidst springs of water which trickled out of the ground as the excavations were made, showing how much the streets have been elevated by constant filling, and that Hagerstown was originally built in what was little better than a swamp. South Potomac street, as the town extended in that direction, was deflected toward the east to avoid running into the marsh. It was this filling up of streets which led to the incorporation of the town and the insti¬ tution of a town government. In the desire to fill up and avoid the inundations of cellars and houses in wet weather, grades were changed, differ¬ ent elevations of sidewalks were adopted and gut¬ ters destroyed and water turned into the middle of the streets rendering them at times impassable. This action was taken by the Assembly in 1791. Thomas Hart, Ludwig Young, Wm. Lee, John Shryock, John Geiger, Peter ITeigley and Baltzer' Goll were appointed Commissioners with power to improve and maintain streets, dig wells and organ¬ ize a fire department and to levy a tax not to exceed three shillings on one hundred pounds, equivalent to about fifteen cents on the hundred dollars. Thomas Hart, the first named of the Commis¬ sioners was the partner of Nathaniel Rochester in the dry goods and afterwards in the hardware bus¬ iness and various other enterprizes. The store of Hart & Rochester was the first one in Hagers¬ town. He was one of the numerous colour which left Hagerstown early in the century to settle m the wilds of Kentucky, then attracting immi¬ grants by its rich soil and various advantages. Hart was no less prominent in his new home. He is distinguished among other things for being the father-in-law of Henry Clay Thomas H. Benton was a nephew and named after him. In 1790 the firm of Hart & Rochester advertised a large quan¬ tity of nails, brads and sprigs. Twenty penny nails and flooring brads were sold at nine pence per pound or thirteen shillings and six pence per thousand. It was claimed for them that they were far better than any imported from Europe. They were all made here in Hagerstown and hammered by hand out of wrought iron. The forge where the work was done was on the lot at the southeast corner of_ Washington and Prospect street where the Presbyterian Church now stands. One relic of the hardware store of Hart & Rochester still remains in Hagerstown. It is the enormous lock on the front door of Mr, Rochester’s residence which stood on the opposite corner and which still remains, one of the most beautiful residences of the town. It has been greatly improved since that time and is now the home of Mrs. Janies Findlay, daughter of Mrs. Howard Kennedy. The great event of this period in the Town’s history was a visit in 1790 from the President of the United States, and that President the Father of his Country, the immortal Washington. The occasion of this visit is not very clear although its object has been always understood to visit Wil¬ liamsport as a candidate for the location of the Federal City, For some time a fierce contention had been going on at intervals in Congress between the Northern and Southern delegates as to the permanent home of the Federal Government. A session of Congress had been held in the old State Plouse at Annapolis and the journey from Massa¬ chusetts to that town was one of three weeks’ dur¬ ation over roads widen constantly menaced the lives of the travellers. The delegates from the North desired to locate the proposed Federal City at a more convenient distance and the Southern delegates were equally determined that they should do no such thing. New York had spent what was at that day considered a large sum of money, in erecting buildings for the accommodation of Con¬ gress and the proposal to remove Congress to Phil¬ adelphia was fiercely assailed by the press of New York. In July 1790 a writer in the New York Journal criticised the proposed removal to Phil¬ adelphia with bitter sarcasm. It was eminently proper, snarled this writer, to remove to Philadel¬ phia, for that city was nearer than New York to the ancient domain of Virginia. Much weight should be given to this for the next stride was to place Congress on the banks of the American Nile at Conococheague, a spot apparently as much des¬ ignated by nature for the Capital of the country as Ivamtchatka or Otahiete. But it was to the banks of the “American Nile” that Congress was to go in spite of sarcasm. In 1783 Congress had passed a bill to buv a tract of a mile or two on the Falls of the Delaware and erect buildings for which pur¬ pose the magnificent sum, of a hundred thousand dollars was appropriated. This proposition was as« sailed by the Southern members who truly contend¬ ed that the proposed location was not central. But they were unable to obtain a reconsideration. In the following year, however, it was resolved that it was inexpedient to have Congress sit always at the same place and that buildings should also be erect- 90 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD ed at Georgetown on tire Potomac. The Southern delegates did not ask that the Capital should be brought south of the Potomac but they were de¬ termined that it should not go farther north. During the entire discussion the Northern mem¬ bers gave the name of Conocoeheague to the pro¬ posed Capital and it was used by them in derision, for it was well understood from the beginning that the selected spot on the Potomac, or the American Nile as it was called by the Northern satirists, was Georgetown and not Conocoeheague. After the passage of the two Capitals resolution nothing fur¬ ther was done until December 1784 when it was rescinded and commissioners were appointed to buy lands and erect buildings at Lambertville on the Delaware. Its final location on the Potomac was the result of a log rolling arrangement by which the Southern members agreed to vote for the bill for settling the public debt in return for giving them the Capital on the Potomac. In 1791 Fisher Ames wrote to Thomas Dwight that “the Southern people care little about the debt. They doubt the necessity for more revenue. They fear the excise themselves and still more their people, to whom it is obnoxious and to whom they are making it more odious still by the indiscreet violence of their debates. Besides they wish to seize the bill as a hostage for such a regulation of the bank as will not interfere with Conocoeheague ten years hence.” During the discussion of the bill establishing the Bank of the United States, unfortunate Con- ococheague was again bandied about as a term of derision and coupled with such names as Reedy Island and other imaginary spots of great seclusion. The circumstance which brought Williams¬ port, or as it was still called, Conocoeheague, into this undesirable prominence was a petition from the citizens of that hundred addressed to the Legislature of the State, setting forth that the law of Congress respecting a district for their per¬ manent residence presented an occasion to hope that the district might be located in this County, and that the petitioners were willing to make such contribution as their means would enable them towards furnishing Congress with the necessary accommodation. They therefore prayed the Leg¬ islature to pass a law appropriating a district ten miles square within this County wherever it may please the President to make the location. So confident however, were the people of Williamsport of their great destiny that persons having lots to sell would hold forth as an inducement to buyers that it was “expected, from a late decision in Con¬ gress, that the grand Federal City will be erected at or near said port.” But I am satisfied that it was not to make this selection that Washington rode up to Hagerstown on the twentieth day of October in the year 1790. It is more likely that he desired to inspect the Potomac river, then in the hands of the Potomac Company of which he was the President, and that instead of making the tedious journey up in a boat pushed by poles up stream, he determined to ride up and make his inspection as he floated down stream. But be that as it may he came and it was a great day for Washington County and especially for Hagerstown where he was to spend the night. Captain Rezin Davis called out his Company of militia, composed in part of veterans who had fought in the Revolu¬ tionary War, and went down the road a mile or two beyond Jerusalem to meet the distinguished visitor. The military was of course accompanied by a concourse of citizens and when the President came in sight he was welcomed by thundering cheers. As the procession approached the town and pro¬ ceeded down Washington street to BeltzhoovePs tavern the church bells of the town rung a wel¬ come and the people who lined the way shouted themselves hoarse and salutes of artillery and mus¬ ketry fired. An address was presented to the President by Thomas Sprigg, Henry Shryock and William Lee in behalf of the citizens of the town and County bidding him a hearty welcome to the town and thanking him for granting them the first, the greatest of all favors, his presence. They felicited themselves upon his exploring our coun¬ try: “Our beloved Chief!” the address went on, “Be pleased to accept our grateful thanks for this honor conferred on us. And may the disposer of all things lengthen out your days, so that you may behold with satisfaction the virtue and pros¬ perity of the people whom you have made free! And when you come to close the last volume of your illustrious actions, may you be crowned with a crown not made with hands!’ 1 The President re¬ plied to the address briefly and courteously, thank¬ ing the people for their flattering expressions of regard and extending his sincerest wishes for their temporal happiness and future felicity. The principal citizens had prepared a supper which we may well imagine was the very best the town could afford. A long list of toasts, no less than thirteen in number, were drunk. The Pres- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 91 ident of the United States, Congress, the Land We Live in, the River Potomac, American Manu¬ factures, Commerce and Manufactures, the Na¬ tional Assembly of France, the Marquis Lafay¬ ette, the spirit of Liberty, the memory of the soldiers who fell in the war, and Dr. Franklin were all duly honored. The fifth toast was, “May the residence law be perpetuated, and Potomac view the Federal City.” The banquet terminated at an early hour and in accordance with his constant custom, Washing¬ ton retired to his bed at ten o’clock and by seven the following morning he had eaten his breakfast and was on the road to Williamsport. After a short stay in that settlement, probably at Springfield, the Williams residence, he embarked on one of the double stern boats covered with can¬ vas like a wagon and floated down the beautiful stream, its banks at that time of the year flashing in the sunlight, the brilliant tints of autumnal foliage, to his home at Mt. Vernon. A descrip¬ tion of the character of the fare and accommoda¬ tion at Globe Inn, more commonly called, Beltz- hoovcr’s Tavern, where Washington spent the night, would be curious reading. The Globe uas in 1790 the principal tavern of the town and stood on the eastern part of the lot now covered by the Baldwin House. Beltzboover, who kept it, was a brother of the proprietor of the Fountain Inn, for many years the most popular hotel of Balti¬ more. The Fountain was the stopping place i'oi the numerous wagons and teamsters which started- from the Globe in Hagerstown, or which had spent the night at the Globe on the way from the Valley of Virginia or places west of Hagerstown. The Indian Queen Tavern stood on North Potomac street above the Market House and there were many other hotels started up not long after¬ wards. Among these were the General Washing¬ ton, the Swan Tavern, the Eagle Tavern which occupied the lot where now stands the Smith building, which was the Mail office 25 years ago. North of Hagerstown and at that time con¬ siderably beyond the town limits was the Wayside Tavern. Before the turnpike roads were made the road entering the town to North Potomac street was an important one. Great numbers of wagons, bringing produce to the town or going through towards Williamsport, or Baltimore came down this road and nut up at the Wayside Tavern. It was also a place for sleighing parties to meet for dancing and between this point and the town the sport of bullet playing was practiced to such an extent as to be dangerous to life and limb that it was finally prohibited by an act of assem¬ bly. Bullets were thrown with utter recklessness and iron bars had to be placed over the windows of the Court House in the square to protect the glass from these missiles. Another of these suburban taverns was situated years afterwards, on the road to the West, one mile from the town. It was known as the “Buck Tavern,” taking its name from the painting of a large buck on a swinging sign, before its door. . In its rear was a grove of native forest trees. Under these in an enclosure the “sports” of the town and surrounding country often met to test the fighting power of their chick¬ ens. Crowds frequented these entertainments. Not unfrequently “Bull baits”—fights between a bull and dogs took place. Cruel as it was there was to many an attractiveness about it that always made it a profitable exhibition. Often during these exhibitions, between the town and tavern, boys between eight and fourteen could be seen under the escort of their parents leaving the exhibi¬ tion. They had left home or school for this excite¬ ment. After the making of the National Turnnike road the Hagerstown taverns became stopping places for the enormous travel between the East and the West, and their yards were crowded with teamsters, wagons, stage coaches, sheep and cattle on the way to the East or West and a character of patronage came to the taverns which demanded and received the best accommodations. But at the time of Washington’s visit there was no such stimulus to the Elizabethtown taverns and they were doubtless on a par with the ordinary country tavern of the time. Even in the large towns as many as eight beds were put into a single room and if there were no bed empty the new arrival would take his place beside the stranger in the first bed he would come to without so much as asking leave. Sheets were changed on regular davs. and a traveler who should presume to ask for clean sheets would be suspected of being an aristocrat.* Letters complaining of the taverns were frequently published by strangers whom cu¬ riosity brought to the country from Europe. They admitted that the fare was usually good but natu¬ rally obiected to having their rooms kept open all night “for the reception of any rude rabble that ♦McMaster’s History. 92 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD had a mind to put up at the house." All com¬ plaint was silenced by the reply that it was the custom of the country. These taverns were places of public resort for tire discussion of politics, for dances and amusements and for the drinking of whiskey. The amount of whiskey consumed in Hagerstown at that time and down to recent years, is fearful to contemplate. It was cheap and fortu¬ nately it was pure. There was no adulteration and no excuse for any. The prices for drinks for many years was regulated by law. If a man wished to “treat" he would not order so many drinks but a pint of whiskey more or less, accord¬ ing to the number called up to drink. For many years there was a fashion of whiskey bottles, blown into a likeness of Washington and nearly every man in this County had his “George Washington” which he took to the nearest grocery to get filled. Every grocery sold whiskey and many other stores kept a bottle in a back room to “treat” customers. On Saturday a grocery clerk in Hagerstown was kept busy from morning to night filling “George Washingtons” from a barrel until frequently a boy engaged in this work would topple over drunk from the fumes. Sometimes the storekeeper would make the boy drink a, small quantity of the whiskey and that would at once render him proof against the overpowering effects of the vapor. For many years and down to the time when the Frank¬ lin railroad, the Canal and the National Turnpike were constructed, it was a matter of contract with laborers the amount of whiskey to be dealt out. A regularly employed functionary on these and all other works employing a large number of men was the “Jigger Boss” who made constant rounds among the men, with his “jigger," a small tin can, dealing out whiskey. The men working on the Canal agreed with the contractors to receive eigh¬ teen of these jiggers and a “chance at the jug”— that is. at the close of the day's work each one should have the privilege of drinking from a jug all that, he could take at a single draught. Pos¬ sibly this will account for a number of riots which occurred during the prosecution of work on the Canal. One of the most important events which took place in Washington County towards the end of the century was the blishment of the first nors* paper, the Washington Spy. Up to this time the nearest periodicals were Bartgis’ Ga#tfc of Fred- ericktown and a newspaper in Winchester Virginia. At this time there were but few newspapers pub¬ lished in the United States and most of the people of Washington County had never seen a newspa¬ per, and a large proportion of them could not have read one. The ignorance of the people of current events and their credulity in easily becoming the prey of imposters was due not only to the scarcity of newspapers but to the small amount of informa¬ tion about events in the communities where they were published which they contained. The Wash¬ ington Spy, however was a good paper and through hints and allusions and controversies and adver¬ tisements contained in its columns, we get a fair pier.i iv of the times. The first issue of the Spy appeared to the astonished citizens of Hagerstown in July 1790. Its editor was Stewart Herbert and its price was fifteen shillings a year. Its pages were ten by fifteen and a half inches. In April 1795, Herbert died and the paper was continued by his widow, Phoebe Herbert, in partnership with a journey¬ man printer named John D. Carey; but this part¬ nership was dissolved March 20, 1796. The day of issuing: the paper was changed several times in consequence of a change in the day for the ar¬ rival of the weekly mail, bringing the newspapers from Europe. March 31, 1796 there was no issue of the paper because of a removal of the office to Peter Miller’s house. About the first of January 1796, Thomas Greeves, a Scotchman, Professor of Mathematics, opened a night school in the town This Thomas Greeves married Mrs. Phoebe Her¬ bert and thenceforth gave up teaching Mathemat¬ ics ami became editor of the Spy. This position he occupied but a short time, for the paper failed to pay expenses and was discontinued—the last copy being issued January 18, 1797. Greeves, as we shall see, started the Maryland Herald in the ■plftCf of ihe Spy and was its editor for more than thirty years. He died in Cumberland Md., in 1810 at the age of 71 years. Fifty years he had spent in America. A bound file of this interesting publication is preserved in the rooms of the Maryland Historical Society at Balti¬ more. From its columns we can get a fairly good and full picture of the town and county and of the condition of society at that time, and as much or more from the advertisements than from the news columns. A mere hint is occasionally given of some interesting occurrence. For instance in September 1191, this item appears: “On Tues¬ day morning will lie published and for sale at Id a letter from Miss S-— a to Mrs. R-who OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 93 on her way to Bath visited St. Rozo Yitozo, the most celebrated person in this part of the country and now residing near Sharpsburg.” For several weeks the reader is left entirely in ignorance of who St. Rozo Yitozo is, but then the following partial explanation is given: “Fifty or sixty per¬ sons pass through Shepherdstown daily to visit Miss Rosa OrndorfE near Sharpsburg, some through curiosity, others conscientiously affected by the surprizing situation and appearance presented by this young woman, many coming two hundred miles.” Rosa Omdorff here spoken of was a daugh¬ ter of Major Christian Orndorff, a distinguished citizen of the county, and a man of wealth and great hospitality. Many officers of the Revolu¬ tionary Army in traveling between the North and South crossed the Potomac at the Shepherdstown Ford and many of them spent the night at Major OrndorfFs. Among these was General Horatio Gates, who during one of these stoppages became desperately enamored of Miss Mary Orndorff, the sister of Rosa, who was at that time but fifteen years of age, and distinguished for her great beauty. She rejected General Gates and married young Jonathan Hager. Rosa Orndorff was sub¬ ject to attacks of the singular disease known as catalepsy. Probably a majority of reported cases of this disease are impostures but this seems to have been a genuine one. No copy of the publish¬ ed description of her case is known to exist but the descendants of the family say that in her trances, she seemed to be entirely insensible to any pain, so that pins could be stuck into her flesh without producing any effect upon her; and that hundreds of visitors were anxious to experiment upon her, and a strict watch had to be maintained over her to save her from being converted into a pin cushion. It appears that she was a Spiritual¬ ist, and whilst entirely unconscious of all her surrounding would converse with spirits and bring messages from the spirit world to those who wish¬ ed to communicate with their departed friends. It is not surprising, therefore, that in that cred¬ ulous age persons came from long distances to see so remarkable a personage. It must have been an intolerable nuisance to have several hundred visi¬ tors each week although they did bring their pro¬ visions with them. Later, the Orndorffs moved to Kentucky and there Rosa died, having first ob¬ tained a promise from her father that her body should be buried on the old homestead near Sharps¬ burg. This promise was faithfully performed althought it must have been at a heavy cost. During the decade from 1790 to 1800, the population of the County had increased from 15,822 to 18,659, of these 2,200 were slaves. Much of the land was still held in large tracts, which had not all been brought uuder cultivation. The prairie fires had been stopped, and forests of oak, hickory, walnut and popular had sprung up and covered a great part of the surface of the country. The crops were tobacco, wheat, corn, flax, hemp and some cloverseed. The products of the latter was not sufficient for the local demand, for some was unported from Lancaster County, Pa. Good crops of wheat were raised; the harvesting was done then aDd for twenty years afterwards with sickles, and the threshing by the flail or the grain was spread around in a circle on a clean floor, and trodden out by horses. This latter method was used until it was superseded by the first threshing machines, which gradually came into use about the 3 "ear 1820. The tobacco crop was a very import¬ ant one, for a frost which occurred September 26, 1792, inflicted a heavy loss upon the County by the injury to the tobacco crop. Great damage was also done to this crop and to the corn by a hail storm in August, 1790. The people of course had less communication with the outside world; and were less dependent upon other communities than at present. Cloth¬ ing and linen were all of home manufacture. Every housewife had her spinning wheel for both wool and flax. Dying and fulling mills were numerous and there was no neighborhood which had not some repository for goods to be dyed. In 1790 John Rohrer had succeeded his father, Jacob Rohrer, in his fulling mill on the Marsh run, close to Hagerstown, where he did fulling, blue dying and all sorts of coloring. Lawrence Protz- man had a fulling and reed making mill m Hagerstown, and did blue dying. On the Conoco- cheague, six miles above Williamsport, near Major Kershner’s mill, William Didenhover had his full¬ ing mill. Henry Funk did fulling and dying a half mile from Newcomer's mill. Two miles and a half from Hagerstown was the fulling and dying mill of Martin Baechtel. The , wool was spun and carded at home and the cards for this purpose were made in Hagers* town. In the year 1790, no less than five thou¬ sand dozen wool cards were produced in Hagers- 94 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD town and all importation of this useful household implement had ceased. Brushes were also made. In 1791, Thomas Dobbins came over from Williamsport, and started a brush shop. He ap¬ pealed to the patriotism of the people to save their hog bristles and horses tails to sell to him, and in connection with his brushes he advertized an ink powder for sale, which he claimed to be “super¬ ior to any made in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Pots¬ dam, or any dam whatever.” As early as 1791, it was made a boast that the importation of shoes had nearly ceased and must soon cease altogether. Thomas M. Jilton had a shoe' factory in Hagerstown opposite Ridenour’s tavern, and there were shoemakers in every neigh¬ borhood. They did not have to go beyond the limits of the County for their leather, for tanning and currying was a flourishing industry. Mathias Nead had a tannery until 1790 when he was suc¬ ceeded by his son Daniel. Other tanneries were owned and operated by Alexander and Benjamin C'lagett and Dorris Doyle. The printer of the Spy offered readv money for clean linen rags which he exchanged for the paper upon which the Spy was printed, but at what mill does not appear. The hats worn by the people of the County were also produced in Hagerstown and their man¬ ufacture a flourishing industry down to the time of the Civil War. The first hatters were John Harry and Jacob Harry, young men who, with several brothers, came to the County at an early date. Jacob Harry built the house next to the Baldwin House on the east. Here he put out his sign, “Jacob Harry, Hatter.” After he was established in trade here his father, Jacob Harry, Sr., came over from Europe and arrived in Hag¬ erstown at night. The next morning the sign over the door immediately arrested the old gentle¬ man’s attention and he at once made his son take it down. “That is not your name, sir,” said he, “your name is Hairy.” The young man protested but the old one remained firm and the sign was accordingly taken down and placed in the garret where it remained until after the death of the old man. It was then restored and that spelling of the name has remained until this day. It was this Jacob Harry who made the addition to Hag¬ erstown known as Ilarry’stown. He had a large number of children, among them George I. Harry, John Harry, and the wives of the late Frederick Humrichouse. John Roberslon and William D. Bell. Harry’s wife was a Miss Sailor. The Harrys came to America from Holland, to which country they had been driven from France by the persecution of the Iiugenots. Jacob OLt was also a prominent hat maker. He manufactured‘hats for men and women. An¬ other hatter was Henry Wingart. Later Wingart was in partnership with a man named Taylor, and dissolved in 1798. Shortly after the beginning of the century, Samuel Rouskulp appears to have been the principal hat maker and later his two sons, Samuel and Upton v T ere the only manufac¬ turers of felt hats in Maryland. The farmers of the County found a market for their hemp at several rope walks in Hagers¬ town, which furnished all the mill and well ropes, bed cords and all other kind of ropes used by the people. The principal of these rope walks was that of Col. Thomas Hart and son. This was bought by Col. Hart’s former partner, Col. Nathaniel Rochester, in April, 1794, and in consequence of this purchase and a desire to live near the rope ■walk, he sold the house he was then living m, on North Potomac street, a house which -was after¬ ward owned by the family of the lit# Wm. Will¬ iamson, and built the house at the corner of Prospect and Washington street, later owned by Upton Lawrence, William D. Bell and Dr. Howard Kennedy. Col. Rochester built the central portion of the house very nearly as it now is, but the wings were of one story, and built of logs. These wings were removed by Upton Lawrence when the house came into his possession, and the struc¬ ture was put nearly in the shape it now stands. Just across Prospect street from his residence stood Col. Rochester’s Forge and Nail Works. This was another important Washington County industry,—the manufacture of nails. Cut nails had not been invented, and so those used by our people were beaten out at Rochester’s works or at Hughes & Fitzhugh’s Nail Factory at Mt. Aetna. The manufacture of whiskey being almost the chief industry of the County, we find there was a considerable number of brass workers and copper¬ smiths to make and repair distilleries. Wm. Iley- ser was a coppersmith, and in 1797, he occupied a house one door from the square formerly owned by Nathaniel Rochester, John Greiner, who had fought the Indians in the Miami campaign, was a brass founder. His foundry was nearly opposite the Boltzhoover tavern, probably where Updegraff’s store now is. "William Reynolds also had a cop¬ per working and tinning establishment, but he OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. removed it to Baltimore in 1797. Another use for workers in brass was in the manufacture of clocks which was successfully carried on in Hagerstown for many years. Among those engaged in this business were J acob Young, John Steikleider, Hy¬ att Lownes and John Reynolds. The most famous of them was Arthur Johnson, who flourished some time afterwards and who made the Town Clock in 1823. Gunsmiths were very numerous, as there was a great demand for fire arms through this whole period, not only in hunting, but for military purposes, as we have already seen. There were so many shops in the town that the trials of guns in their yards became a source of public dan¬ ger, and an ordinance had to be passed to sup¬ press it. The only gunsmith, however, whose name appears in the Spy is Christian Hawken, in May, 1794. To supply powder for these fire arms, and also for blasting rocks, John Light started a powder mill near Funkstown in 1797. This mill was in existence over twenty-five years, and during that time it was constantly blowing up. Later, another mill was started lower down the Antietam, two miles from Funkstown by Mr. Boerstler. Mr. John Booth also had a powder mill on the Antie¬ tam at "Delemere.” In March 1799 two gentle¬ men who were out hunting went into this mill to replenish their stock of powder, while there the powder maker discovered that one of the mortars was getting too dry. He put his hand into it, and an explosion took place. There were a hundred and fifty pounds of powder in the mill; the roof was blown off, the workman lost his eyesight, one gentleman was much burnt, and the other had his thigh broken. It is a commentary upon the news¬ paper of the time, that in giving an account of this accident it was not considered necessary to mention the name of any of the persons injured. A Pot Ash Factory, an Oil Mill for the man¬ ufacture of linseed oil by John Scott at West Conococheague, numerous distilleries and the flouring mills were also included in the industries of the County. In September, 1795 there is an advertisement for a sober tobacconist. The entire surplus of rye and corn was converted into whiskey and sent to Georgetown in boats or to Baltimore in wagons and this was one of the principal industries of the County. But the chief one of them all was carried on in the flouring mills spread along the banks of the Antietam and the Conococheague at short intervals as well as upon other streams. Col. Stull had the mill on the Antietam many years afterwards owned by Wm. Hager. Here he also had a distillery and a saw mill. Cephas Beall succeeded him here in 1794, and afterwards Clagett & Beall. David Rowland had a large mill on the Antietam, a mile from Funkstown and on the same stream was Beall & Kendall's Mill. As early as 1791, the wheat raised around Hagerstown was not sufficient for these mills and many thousand bushels were brought down the river on flat boats to Williams¬ port and landed at the warehouse of Thomas Dob¬ bins and Charles Brooks, who also shipped great quantities of flour in boats, down to Georgetown. The people of Washington County were very dif¬ ferent at that early day from what they are at present. There was greater simplicity in their manner of life. They made but little money, and spent but little; a whole family could be clothed for what it costs now to clothe a single member of it. Education was by no means general and a public scrivener, William McIntosh, “opposite the German Calvinist Church,” in Hagerstown, found his employment not only in preparing instruments but in writing letters for those who could not write. The German language was much used, and in all the churches except the Episcopal, Meth¬ odist and Presbyterian and the Roman Catholic, after one was built about 1794, it ®n= exclus¬ ively and only gradually, in after years, gave place to the English language, as another generation grew up. Indeed, after a century it has not yet been entirely discarded. Not only was the great body of the people of German origin, but the pop¬ ulation was being constantly reinforced by fresh arrivals from Germany. In the Beaver Creek neighborhood there was but a single English fam¬ ily, that of a man named Ingram. For those who wished to acquire an education there were schools, but they were probably very poor ones. In 1790 we find a gentleman who can teach Latin and English advertising that he would wish to have encouragement in a private family, or would take upon him the care of a public school. Ann Rawlings conducted a school in Hagerstown, where she taught “ready sewing, flowering, mark¬ ing and open work.*’ There was an English school in the hands of trustees which educated a small number of pupils. Some of these came from the country, but the condition of the roads in winter was such that they had to give up school during that season. Mr. Spicer taught vocal music and Hart & Rochester kept music books for sale. In HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 17112, there is an advertisement calling for a school master—a single man who can teach an English school. In January 1193 Mr. and Mrs. Jones came lip from Annapolis and opened a boarding school, on the first Monday in February, for the improve¬ ment of young ladies. They taught "ready writ¬ ing and arithmetic, tambour and Dresden, English and Trench embroidery, drawing and painting in water colors, geography, filagree and riband work, plain and colored needlework of gll kind, instru¬ mental music, seed, shell and paper work.” This .varied and somewhat jumbled course of study was in the hands of Mrs. Jones, who, however, did not long continue her school for she died one year later. Mr. Jones, in a separate house, taught ‘'a "few young gentlemen English grammar, ready writing, arithmetic, hook keeping and morals.” William Kerr taught animal magnetism and how to cure diseases. In 1794 Mrs. Levy opened a school to teach sewing and embroidery and the "rudiments of reading and writing.” Art needle¬ work was considered a necessary accomplishment for young ladies and the old “Samplers” possessed by so many families bear testimony to their skill. In 1794 John Clagett advertized for a “gram¬ matical teacher” to whom he offered a liberal sal¬ ary. The following year Mr. Barrett started a class in French. In 1797 an English and Latin school was advertised. It was many ftears before there was any great progress m popular education, but there were many well educated and refined people. They did not read many books, for they lacked the great abund¬ ance possessed by the people of today, but what they did read was worth reading. In the home of every gentleman could be found a few books, either translations of the Greek and Roman Classics, or the best of the English authors. But few novels were read, and among them was pretty apt to be found a copy of Piekling’s Works. Now and then we meet with a notice in the paper asking for the return of some book which had been loaned. There was a society in the County which could boast of refinement and luxury. The gro- (W advertised expensive wines, chocolate, teas, olives, capers, anchovies and many articles found now only at the best groceries. Many citizens possessed coaches upon which a license or tax had to he paid, which wag fixed by an official who in¬ spected all the coaches in the County. Some of the families boasted of harpsichords, pianos, and “house organs.” The people were not only inn.-to- al, but- fond of amusements which upon occasion took a noisy character. Bishop Asbury of the Methodist Church visited the town in 1776, soon after the Declaration of Independence, and found tlig whole population, as he thought, beating drums, firing guns and dram drinking—impress¬ ing the worthy gentleman with the belief that the place was entirely given over to Satan. There were shooting matches just such as the one describ¬ ed in Cooper’s “Pioneers.” A tavern keeper who wished to attract custom would advertise a deer, a turkey or some other prize to be shot for, each person entering the list paying a certain sum. In nearly the same way money was made by hunt¬ ing. A bear or elk would be captured and a grand hunt arranged for a certain day when the animal was liberated, chased and recaptured. Strolling players often visited Hagerstown, and gave exhibitions in the taverns or the Court House and in May, If fj, a male camel “from the deserts of Arabia” was exhibited in the town. In Dr. Sehnebly’s barn an African lion was exhibited. In April 1791, McGrath’s Company of commedians appeared “in Hagerstown at the Theatre” in the tragedy of “Revenge.” McGrath’s Company of actors frequently pass¬ ed through the town. Nearly every summer it would go to Baltimore and stop in Hagerstown for a week or more. McGrath was a great favorite with the people and there was genuine sorrow at the announcement of his death in 1799, His Theatre m Hagerstown was Mr. Peek’s ball-room in the Indian King 'Tavern, and hss the gurtam would rise before sunset. An address to the peo¬ ple of Elizabethtown and a patriotic song com¬ posed by. Mrs. Douglas were sometimes announced. The plays were “Douglas,” “George Barnwell,” “The London Merchant,” which were always sup¬ plemented by a farce such as “Barnabv Brittle” or “A Wife at Wit’s End,” “The Poor Soldier.” Another company, “Hamilton & Co., treated the people to such plays as “Macbeth,” “The School for Keandal” and “Romeo and Juliet.” An amusing incident relating to Hagerstown in 17119 is told in John “Bernard's. Retrospections in America,” Bernard belonged to a company of English actors of high standing who were making a tour of the United States. They came to Hag¬ erstown to play. Mr. Bernard relates his exper¬ ience as follows: “Du tift: second Slight of our entertainment at Hagerstown, we were opposed by an exhibition OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 97 wliich drew at a draught every spectator engaged to us. This was the first importation of a Barthol¬ omew fair novelty I had met with in the States, and did not yield to the most extraordinary in my recollection. It was thus announced. “ “This day is introduced to the American public the far famed monster of Madagascar called the one-horned Boukabekabus, whose age, powers and dimensions have never been discovered, and must remain a matter of conjecture to the end of time. He will eat, or drink any given quantity of wine, read or write like any ordinary gentleman, etc. On Thursday after performing all these feats he will' exceed himself, &c. After astonishing the crowned heads of Europe the pro¬ prietor pants to submit this curiosity to the Judges of Hagerstown/ “I prevailed on Cooper to accompany me to see a phenomenon, which evidently had escaped the notice of Lennen’s, when we discovered that the extraordinary monster consisted of an ordinary bull’s hide, surmounted by the canvas head of a unicorn and distended by wooden ribs,^containing a man in the interior who roared through a trum¬ pet and flickered a pair of candles in the glass eyes to give them a mysterious aspect. We also found that the ingenious and modest impostor was no other than a runaway tailor from our wardrobe who had carried with him all the materials for his exhibition. After this appeal to the critical acu¬ men of Hagerstown (a proper refuge for outcasts) we felt disclined to continue in the lists so re¬ turned to Alexandria.” In September, 1799, the first circus was exhib¬ ited in Hagerstown. It was “Rickett’s Equestrian Circus,” and the attractions were horsemanship, vaulting, etc. The price of admission was one dollar. But the principal amusement then and for many years afterwards was horse racing. It was useless for moralists to write and declaim against it, as they did, it was firmly rooted as an institution in the County and nothing could induce the people to abandon it. Before 1790, there were regular race courses at Williamsport, Hagerstown, Funks- town, and Hancock. The last named race course was managed by John Johnson and Caspar Shaff- ner. Those at Hagerstown by Jonathan Hager *Frorrithe Washington Spy July 9, 1794: A list of letters remaining in the Post Office at Elizabethtown, 5th July, 1794 for: Charles F. Brodhag, Fort-Cumberland. John Boggs, Hagers-town. and John Ragan, both of whom kept taverns. Every autumn there were trials of speed and great crowds gathered to witness them. The horses were fine and liberal purses were offered. In 1790, the Williamsport races were for three miie heats open to any horse carrying nine stone. In 1817 the Grand Jury presented the annual horse racing as a grievance—“not of itself a violation of the law, but attended by profane swearing, drunkenness, &c., to the corruption of the youth.” The jury earnestly hoped that peaceable citizens would discontinue the practice. But peaceable citizens would do nothing of the kind, and horse¬ racing went on for many years. Great attention was paid to raising horses, and it was customary to parade fine horses through the streets of the town. This became a public nuisance, and was prohibited by a town ordinance. In 1793 it was considered of sufficient importance to announce in the Spy “that the beautiful and remarkably ele¬ gant imported horse “Sportsman” of the real Hunter breed, is to pass through town today on his way to his present owner, George Clarke, Esq., of Green Castle.” Apparently Washington County was not alone in attention to horse racing for one day in June, 1791, the post man from Baltimore came with no mail and his excuse to the disgusted editor was that when he left Baltimore, a horse race was in progress and the postoffice was closed in consequence, so that he could not get his mail. This excuse the editor received With some incred¬ ulity. But all communication with the outside world was infrequent and uncertain. But one mail a week was received from Baltimore. In the winter the roads were frequently in such bad con¬ dition as to be impassable. The Spy of January 6, 1791 expresses the thanks of the printer “to the gentleman who sent him a late Baltimore pa¬ per. As the post arrives so seldom and precarious during the winter the editor will receive every communication with thanks." The regular course in 1792 was for the mail to leave Baltimore at 3 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, and proceed through Frederick to Sharpsburg then on through Hagerstown to Ohambersburg, arriving at the latter place at 7 o’clock on Monday evening or more likely at 7 o’clock on Tuesday morning.* John Campbell, near Hancock-town. George Duncan, care James Erwin, Mercersburg. Michael Fallon, care Daniel Hufe, Iron Master. James Foard, Washington County. Isaac Houfer, Hager’s-town. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD This was under the early organization of the IT. S. Post Office Department. f £ta@ years previous¬ ly Samuel Osgood, of Massachusetts, had become the first Post Master General of the United States with but a single clerk to assist him in attending to the affairs of the seventy-five post offices the country then contained. There were but two in Washington County Sharpsburg and Elizabeth¬ town, and none between the latter place and Cliarn- bersburg. There was great carelessness and in- dilferenec upon the part of the mail carriers who did not seem to care very much whether they went empty handed or not. The carrier from Baltimore returning from Chambersbipg, would bring the Philadelphia papers to Hagerstown but sometimes he came without them, rather than wait a few minutes for the pouch to be made ready. In Octo¬ ber, IT 95, another post route was established through the County, namely, from York, Pa., to Martinsburg, Va. This involved another change in the day of the publication of the Spy. During the earlier portion of this period Robert Rochester was Post Master at Hagerstown. In 119li the office was removed to a house known as “Mt. Hart,” probably one of the proper¬ ties of Col. Thomas Hart. When a mail was received, the door was closed, but there was such a constant knocking for admission, that the post¬ master hit upon a device to protect himself from the annoyance. When the mail bag had been opened, and the letters were ready for delivery a white flag was displayed from one of the windows and public notice was given, that under no circuum stances would the door be opened until the flag was out. On Monday morning such letters and news¬ papers, addressed to citizens of Hagerstown, as had not been called for were dispatched to the persons for whom they were intended, by a carrier. The letters and papers now received and distributed at Hagerstown in a single day are more than were then received in the whole of Washington County in twelve months. In 1793, Robert Rochester had been succeeded as postmaster by Nathaniel Rochester. In lSSf John Ragan had started a stage line which left his tavern on Tuesday for Baltimore via Frederick and New Market, reached Baltimore Wednesday and returned to Hagerstown oil Saturday. Plagerstown contained at this time about twelve hundred inhabitants, but it was rela¬ tively a much more important place, at that period and for many years after, than it is at present. It was the business centre of a large territory and was a distributing point for a large part of the Western territory just then open¬ ing up. A great part of its produce was brought here and sold, and provisions taken hack. In September, 1791, there was a drought all over the country, and especially through the western portion of Virginia and Kentucky. Thou¬ sands of cattle, some from Virginia and some driv¬ en through the wilderness from Kentucky, cross¬ ed the Potomac at Williamsport and were brought to Hagerstown for sale. This largely extended traffic furnishes us with an explanation of the great number of stores in the town, apparently so disproportionate to its size. These merchants not only sold goods but they were shippers of produce to the coast. A large proportion of their business Was by barter. For the dry goods and groceries they sold, and which many of them re¬ ceived upon direct consignment from Hull Eng¬ land, they took in payment wheat, rye, tobacco, spelz, oats, flax, butter, tallow, bees wax, &c., and maple sugar. This last commodity was brought down from Cumberland. Flat bottom boats brought wheat, deer, skins aud hams down the Potomac from Cumberland to Williamsport. At this time wheat was worth five shillings a bushel, rye 3s 9d; corn 2s 9d.; whiskey, 3s 9d; tub butter, sd, beeswax, 20d to 22d; flax Is 6d. Among the merchants of Hagerstown, the princi¬ ple firm was. that of Hart & Rochester, who kept a large stock of dry goods. In 1792 ,this firm dissolved, and was succeeded by Thomas Hart & Son. Nathaniel Rouhrsstex continued in the mer¬ cantile business in partnership with Robert Rochester, until June, 1794, when he closed up the concern in order to devote himself exclusively to Frederick Heife, Hager’s-Town. John Hukill, Salisbury Manor, Washington County. Daniel Hughes, Esq., Hagerstown, Washington Coun¬ ty, to be forwarded by Andrew Blake Garden¬ er (2 letters.) Robert Hughes, Esquire. John Kinning, care of ’Sqr. Henderson near Green- Castle. Michael or Martin Markley, Hagerstown. Tobias M’Gaughey, to be called for at the Post-Office. Stephen M’Claskey, Hagerstown. John M’Lane at Mr. Taylor’s Hagerstown. David Park, Allegany County, Maryland. Henry Seybert, Distiller at Nichs, Swingles. William Scott, Long Meadows. George Tiginger, near Hagerstown. John Tenent, to George Clarke Green Castle. Daniel Toneyry, Williams-port. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 99 the manufacture of ropes and nails. Other prominent merchants wore M. & W. Van Lear, Alexander and Hezekiah Clagett who were suc¬ ceeded in 1791 by Alexander and Benjamin Clag¬ ett “dealers in Dry Goods and Wet Goods.’’ Benja¬ min Clagett married Jennet, daughter of Win. Lee ; J ohn and Hezekiah Clagett; Darvan & Tier- nan; Geiger & Harry, dry goods and grocers, on the southeast corner of the Square; Janies Fergu¬ son & Co., wholesale and retail. Ferguson made a great deal of money and died about 1830 at an advanced age; Henry and Jacob Hoover, dealers in French burrs; John Lee at the sign of the ’"Sugar Loaf;” Rezin Davis at the sign of ‘"Gen. Washington;” his residence was on the east side of South Potomac street, a few doors from the Square on the lot long owned by Alexander Armstrong. He was Lieut. Colonel of the 24th Reg. of Md. Militia but resigned in April 1799, and was succeeded by Wrn. Fitzliugh. Thompson & Kean in the front room of Capt. Ott’s Tavern; Wm. Lee, John and Peter Miller who dissolved in 1793 and were succeeded by Peter Miller & Co.; Christopher Adler, Ogle & Hall, “in the Main street leading to the Western country, three doors above Col. Rochester’s;” Basil & Richard Brooks, the latter married a daughter of John Ragan; Luke Tiernan was succeeded in 1796 by K. Owen & Co.; Baltzer Goll was not only a leading mer¬ chant, but a prominent and public spirited citizen of the County for many years. He died in May 1799, leaving a young widow and 6 children. He was succeeded in business in 1796 by Alexander Kennedy, who married Miss Stephen, of Berkley County; Clagett & Foreman; Devalt & Lissinger, Jas. Kendal, who was a son-in-law of Col. J. Stull; Frederick Miller & Co., apothecaries, at the sign of the golden mortar between the Court House and Ragan’s Tavern; Francis Foreman & Co., who started trade about 1797; Aaron Joseph, Jeweller^, at John Ragan's Indian King Tavern. Among the stores in the County outside of Hag¬ erstown was that of John Smurr, near Swengle’s Mill, a short distance from Williamsport. He dealt more especially in drums in 1794, an article of merchandise in great demand about that time. In Williamsport were the stores of James Brown & Co., who dissolved in 1794; Jeremiah Evans and Charles Shanks, who were partners until 1793; Rudolphus Brill; J ohn Kennedy & Co., who opened a store on North Potomac street in the town in 1797; Jacob T. Towson; and P. De Vecmon. In Ilaricocktown were the stores of Samuel McFerran and Joseph and Henry Protzinan. The people who came to town to deal at the stores had no lack of accommodation, for the taverns were very numerous. In 1791, Feter Shaffner took Beltzhoover’s tavern and changed its name to the “Sign of the General Washington.” Beltzhoovcsr then lived in a large brick house next door to his tavern, probably the old Dorsey house. He afterward resumed the tavern keeping busi¬ ness in 1793. John Ragan kept the “Indian King tavern” in the Main street leading from the Court House to the Western country. He was succeeded in 1791 by Thomas Crab. From the Indian King, Crab took Adam Ott’s tavern at the sign of the “Shipp.” This house stood where the Ploover House later stood. Crab was succeeded at the Indian King by Mr. Peck, In connection with the Hotel Peck had a summer garden where he served tea, coffee and syllabub. In 1799 Peck went to Bal¬ timore and took the Columbia Inn. Wil¬ liam Mackey kept the “Indian Queen"’ on North Potomac street; James Downey kept the “American Arms” on the Main street leading to the Western country, and Capp’s tavern. On the public square, fronting the Court House, stood the Fountain Inn, kept in 1797 by Jonathan Hager. This was a favorite place for Independ¬ ence clay celebrations. This Jonathan Hager set¬ tled in the valley not many wars after his namesake the founder of the town, with whom, as far as I am able to discover, he was not related. He was a man of excellent character and a pop¬ ular and good citizen. For some years he kept a tavern in Chambersburg but returned to Hagers¬ town about 1796. He was a soldier in the Revo¬ lutionary Army and it is stated in his obituary that “he lived in Hagerstown when the ground on which it stands was a howling wilderness.” If this be true, he must have come here at an early age for he was only nine years’ old when the town was laid .out, having been born in 1753. He died February 16, 1823. In Williamsport, there was the tavern at the Sign of General Washington, opened by George Bishop in October 1793; and in Hancoektown the tavern was at the sign of the “Ship/’ Previously to 1792 it was kept by John Donavan. In that year it was taken by Caspar Shaffner. The newspaper gives but little insight into the political affairs of the time, hut that little furnishes a curious contrast to the customs of the 100 HISTORY A HD BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD present time. In a communication addressed to the printer in October, 1190, an unsuccessful candi¬ date at an election which had just taken place complained bitterly. because he had ‘‘observed at almost every door in Elizabeth Town a printed piece of yours entitled ‘Result of the Election.’ It was so new and extraordinary that I wish the same error never to be committed by a printer whom I respect and have from his first coming here en¬ deavored to support. The errors are, first, insert¬ ing the number of votes the gentleman elected had, and second, mentioning a gentleman who was not elected.” For this gross breach of propriety the printer made a suitable apology. All that was said about the election was in the extra for the regular issue contains but little mention of it. This Congressional District was composed of Alle¬ gany, Washington and a portion of Frederick i counties. Col. Thomas Sprigg was the first rep¬ resentative in Congress. The candidates were selected by commissioners from the different coun¬ ties who were appointed “to confer and secure a respectable representation in Congress at the ensu¬ ing election.” In the spring of 1791, a movement began which has continued until the present day—the emigration of people from the County to the West, which has peopled many important sections of country with Washington County folk. There is a Maryland settlement in Northern Illinois, with Polo for its centre, which is almost entirely peopled from our County. In 1791, and pre¬ viously, Kentucky was the western frontier and its rich soil and excellent climate had just begun to attract immigration. A wilderness intervened, which had to be traversed at a great cost of labor and patience; but the tide of emigration was strong for many years. A Frenchman, M. Lacas- Sifjne, and others who owned great tracts of land in the new territory, had agents in Hagerstown and neighboring towns for the sale of their lands and the promotion of emigration to the banks of the Ohio. In this county Lacassagne’s agents were James Chepline, of Sharpsburg; Col. Thomas Sprigg, Col. John . Barnes, Nathaniel Morgan and Dr. Henry Schnebley, leading and influential cit¬ izens of the County. The Orndorff family from Mt. Pleasant, near Sharpsburg, emigrated to Ken¬ tucky at an early period. Among them was Christopher Orndorff, who settled in Logan County where his wife, Mary, died in 1823. Col. Hynes a rich farmer near Haneoektown, went in 1792. In March, 1791, a party of fifty, left Funkstown and journeyed through the wilderness to the new land. They took with them the baggage of “that good old man” Jacob Funk, the founder of the town of Jerusalem or Funkstown, who followed in a few clays, probably overtaking the party on the way. Frederick Rohrer left the County in 1793 for a “distant part,” probably Kentucky, and left a large number of town lots and other proper¬ ly in the hands of Baltzer Goll, Luke Tiernan and Jacob Rohrer for sale. Among the first emigrants to leave for the wilds of Kentucky was Captain John Reynolds, an officer of the Revolutionary Army. He sold his property in Washington County, took leave of his aged parents and 'friends and set off in the latter part of 1778 for the West, traversing a wilderness almost from the time of leaving home. He was accompanied by his wife and seven children, a Mrs. Harden and her two children, Mrs. Malotte and five children, Capt. Daniel Stull, Robert Dewier, Ralph Naylor, a white servant, and a colored girl belonging to Mrs. Reynolds. The party spent the winter near the banks of the Ohio not far from Pittsburg and in March 1779, they embarked in two boats to reach their destination lower down the river. One boat contained Captain Reynolds and all the per¬ sons above named. The other boat contained Reynolds’ cattle and horses and was in charge of men employed by him. The boats had come to Long Reach about fifty miles below Wheeling. Here the children became tired, and the party landed; but traces of a recent Indian encampment were discovered and they im¬ mediately re-embarked and pushed out into the stream. The current carried the boats near, the northern shore, and as they approached a point of land a volley of rifle bullets was poured upon the boat in which were Captain Reynolds and his family. The Captain was asleep with his head in his wife's lap. The man who was stear- ing was killed. Reynolds grasped his rifle and arose to his feet but as he did so, a bullet crashed through his brain and he died instantly. The horrified woman was induced to lie down but not until a bullet had gone through her bonnet. The fire was returned, and one Indian was killed, but the boat drew nearer and nearer to the shore and a number of Indians swam out and took possession of it. Three of the occupants of the boat were killed and the remaining nineteen were carried into captivity. The cargo of the boat was an lm- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 101 mense prize for the savages and consisted largely of dry goods and other merchandise in which Rey¬ nolds had invested his whole fortune. The narrative of the adventures of these un¬ fortunate people is thrilling in its details and heartrending. They were tortured and persecuted and suffered from weariness and hunger. Mrs. Reynolds saw her little girls fall by the way from weakness and want of food and was in constant terror lest they should he unable to rise again, in which case she knew they would be tomahawked. They were compelled to run the gauntlet several times for the amusement of the party, 'phis pastime consisted in compelling the prisoners to run through an avenue of Indians, who rained cruel blows upon them as they passed. Capt. Reynold’s son, John, one day disappeared from the party, and the mother was convinced that he had been killed. But she afterwards recovered him as we shall see. He finally returned to Hagerstown, where he lived many years as a respected and hon¬ ored citizen, Major John Reynolds. He died about the year 1830. Soon after this two of the children, Elizabeth and a little son, William, then in his third year, were torn from the arms of the mother, who, with some of her other children, was carried by a war party to Fort Detroit. The little boy and girl were taken to one of the Delaware towns on the Scioto. William was kept by the chief, who was called Peter, as his property. Peter gave Eliz¬ abeth to his wife’s sister. At this settlement was also Peter Malott and several white women, whose business it was to work corn and do all the domes¬ tic work. Elizabeth was near enough to her little brother to see him occasionally. She was fortu¬ nate enough to secure the good will of the squaw who had possession of her, and received humane treatment. The party had now and then to en¬ dure famine, when the corn crop had been exhaust¬ ed, and the chase had been unsuccessful. It hap¬ pened that a party returning from the war path brought a captive white woman from Kentucky through the Scioto village. This woman had an opportunity to speak with Elizabeth and learn her history. The little girl begged her, if she ever escaped from the Indians to send word of her place of captivity to her uncles, Joseph Reynolds and Robert Smith, of Washington County, Mary¬ land. She also sent a message to her father who she seems to have thought might still be alive. In the meantime the devoted mother was at De¬ troit, planning and working for the rescue of her children, who were scattered abroad throughout the wilderness. To gather these again to her arms was a task which might well have appeared hope¬ less to the most sanguine, and appalling to the bravest heart. But the brave woman never de¬ spaired. She had arrived at Detroit, forlorn and in a deplorable condition of weariness and suffer¬ ing. Her captors had deprived her of nearly all of her clothing and she had but little to wear except a ragged blanket. Some ladies offered to take her little girls as nurses for their children, but she refused to let them go, and the next day they sent her a supply of suitable clothing. From this time onward she made some money by sewing, and received regular rations from the British gov¬ ernment for herself and her children, as prisoners of war. Whilst in Detroit, a Captain Reynolds of the British Army, hearing her name, and that she was from Maryland, obtained an introduction to her. He told her he was from Maryland, which he had left, when the war broke out, to join his Majesty’s service, and that he wished- to find whether he could trace any relationship with her husband. Mrs. Eynolds told him she had no de¬ sire to make the inquiry as she did not wish her children to claim kin with a Tory. Mrs. Reynolds soon prevailed upon the British commander to send parties in search of her other children. These messengers went out provided with a great quantity of rum, found them all and induced their possessors to bring them to Detroit, and claim the twenty pounds reward which was given for each prisoner or scalp brought in by the Indians. In this wav all were recovered except Joseph, the eldest, who had been adopted by a chief near Detroit, and was designed to succeed him in command of the tribe. Him the mother succeeded in abducting while the warriors were all absent from the wigwam. The boy was secreted until her departure. The Indians made desperate endeavors to recover him, and to kidnap the other children. John had been purchased on the Upper Sandusky by a Mr. Robinson, who, after learning who he was, brought him to Detroit and delivered him to his mother from whom he had been sepa¬ rated since early in their captivity. The party which had brought Elizabeth to Detroit had left little William in the Delaware settlement. It was in October that Elizabeth left him and the mother was almost distracted with grief at not getting him hack. One day about the middle of Decern- 102 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Ir' 1 % m Elizabeth went past Ilu> Council house door for water, an officer called her to eOSafe and see her little brother. She: ran eagerly forward and there saw the little fellow. The officer restrained lifir from speaking to him to see whether he would know her. He looked up and saw her and said, “It is my Betsy.” She ran for her mother who was electrified with joy. The little boy, after soil i e difficulty, recognized her also. The com¬ mandant redeemed him and restored him to his mother. It may well be supposed that the meet¬ ing of the mother with, her little ones as they were restored to her WAS? pathetic to the highest degree. The kind commandant soon put the whole ptttty on a vessel and sent them to Montreal. In that city Mrs. Reynolds met an American prisoner whom mb knew and she set to work to get him a compass and a tinder box to assist him in escaping. He had already made an attempt, but for lack of a compass had got lost in the woods and been re¬ captured by the Indians. As he was about making the -scorn! attempt, the news of peace arrived. Mrs. l!1. John Miller. One of his daughters Meliora, married John Robert Dali and another, Anne, married John N. Steele, of Annapolis, and died there Oct. 18, 1839. Miss Harriet R. A. Buchanan died unmarried. One of Judge Buch¬ anan's sons. Thomas Cribb Buchanan, left home and all trace of him was lost. His father spent a great deal of money searching for him through many years, but nothing was ever heard of him. When the Judge died, provision had been made in the will for this son and his share in the estate was apportioned to him and put into the hands of trustees ready for him should he return. But he never came back to claim it and it was finally distributed among the other heirs. A sister of the two Judges Buchanan, named Mary, married Dr. Pottenger of Prince George’s County. She, after the death of her husband, went to Hagerstown to live. She died there at the age of 88 years and was buried with other members of the family in the Episcopal burying ground. Her daughter married Thomas B. Hall. Then- were the parents of Mary Sophia Hall who was married to Col. George Schley, of Hagerstown. The older sister of this lady, Barbara, was the second wife of Frederick A. Schley. George Schley's father, and was the mother of Col, Bu¬ chanan Schley of Hagerstown. Mrs. Mary Pot- tinger was a lady of rare accomplishments and great social distinction. In her youth she had lived in the brilliant society of the Capital of the State. As a. child, she had been specially noticed by the Father of his country and she was present in the Senate chamber of the old State House and there witnessed the resignation by the great patriot of Ms military office. She had lived in Hagers¬ town on South Potomac street for nearly a half century and died there February 7, 1854, aged M years. The files of the newspapers from which the material for these chronicles is gathered are miss¬ ing for twelve years from 1805, consequently the narration of the events of those years will be more meagre than for other years. This is par¬ ticularly unfortunate as it is an especially im¬ portant period of the history of the County and indeed of the whole country. It includes the war of 1818 in which the people of Washington County took a prominent and honorable paid. 1 have been compelled, therefore, to content my¬ self with such facts and incidents as I could gather from the records of the court and from several other sources. These events will be given in a somewhat disjointed fashion. There was a law during these years for the regulation of the charges of ferrymen, and the keepers of all houses of public entertainment. These rates were fixed by the Judges of the court and announced once each year. There were a great many ferries over the Potomac. There was one at the mouth of the C'onococheague; one at Shepherdstown, one at the month of the Opequon, one at the mouth of the Antietam, besides Har¬ per's, John Donnely’s at Hancock, HowsePs, Ford’s and Ritter’s. Up to 1805 the rates for tavern charges had been fixed in British or Colon¬ ial money. At the August Term of that year, the rating was made for the first time in American currency. The charge permitted for a breakfast or supper was 34 cents, for a dinner, with a pint of small beer or cider was 50 cents, for lodgings 16 cents, for a gill of spirits or brandy, 13 cents, for a gill whiskey 7 cents. Persons keeping houses of entertainment were required to give security in the sum of 6000 pounds of tobacco and those retailing liquor in the sum of 100 pounds in money. A Maryland shilling was equal to 14 cents in Federal currency. In 1805 Nathaniel Rochester was Sheriff of the County. Two years later ho was succeeded hv Isaac White and he hr Matthias Shaffner in 1809. In 1813, Henry Sweitzor was elected, and hold the office for four years. Daniel Sehnehley was elected in 1816. The Judicial system of the State was revised in 1806. T% to that time there had been a Chief Judge OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 135 who was a lawyer and associated with him were Justices of the Peace who were laymen. William Clagett had been the Presiding Judge under this system. Under the new S3'stem, John Buchanan became the Chief Judge with William Clagett and Abraham Shriver as his associates. John Bu¬ chanan qualified as Chief Judge on the 3rd of 1806, and his brother Thomas Buchan¬ an was admitted to practice at the Hagerstown Bar on the 26th of the following month. Nine years later, he became Associate Judge. The minutes of the Court show many severe sentences. For stealing a pair of shoes a man was sentenced to hard labor on the roads of Bal¬ timore County for eighteen months. Another man convicted of stealing some trifling article was sentenced to twenty lashes on the bare back, well laid on. This was the ordinary punishment for petty larceny, and was generally supplemented by the pillory. Among other curious cases which may be found on the old dockets is a trial upon an indictment for “keeping a Pharoah or Associ¬ ation table.” A notable case .was removed to Hagerstown from Frederick in 1809. Thomas Burke was tried and convicted for committing a rape upon the person of Maria Brawner, and sentenced to be hung. Burke was defended by four lawyers, among whom were Luther Martin and Roger Nelson. They fiercely contested the case, and in the heat of excitement Martin made some remark which offended Judge Buchanan so deeply that he struck Mr. Martin with his cane when he attempted to get into the Frederick stage where the Judge was seated. Probably at no period in the history of Washington County were there as many distinguished men practising at the Hagerstown Bar as during the period of which we are now writing. Among them were Roger B. Taney, Roger Nelson, Philip Barton Key, Luther Martin, John Thompson Mason, Moses Tabbs, William B. Rochester and others. About the year 1804, Nathaniel Rochester established a private banking hous§ in connection with his various other enterprises. He was living at the time in a stone house opposite the present Court House, in which A. K. Syester lived for many years, and which, was demolished to make way for the Hotel Hamilton. Here, in the front room of this house, Mr. Rochester organized the Hagerstown Bank in 1807 with a capital stock of $250,000 divided into shares of $50 each At the first meeting of the organization of the bank there were present besides Mr. Rochester, Eli Williams, Thomas Sprigg, Wm. Fitzhugh, Charles Carroll, Jacob Zeller and William Heyser. The directors bought the lot upon which the bank now stands and a building was erected, which was completed and occupied in 1814. Nathaniel Rochester was the president until he left the County in 1810 and Eli Beatty was the first cash¬ ier and he held the office until he succeeded Wil¬ liam Heyser' as president in 1831. Then Daniel Sprigg became cashier, but two years later he went to Rochester and became cashier of a bank in that city. Mr. Beatty then resumed his place as cashier and Otlio Lawrence became president. Mr. Beatty continued as cashier until his death in 1859 when William M. Marshall succeeded him. In 1810 a notable party of emigrants left Hagerstown. The leaders of the party were Na¬ thaniel Rochester.** William Fitzhugh and Charles Carroll. Their destination was the valley of the *From the Herald and Torch Jan. 20, 1875. Mr. William Heyser departed this life on Friday last in the 85th year of his age. Mr. Heyser was a very active man for his years until within a com¬ paratively short time before his death, and so to speak, was one of the very few remaining links in the chain which connects the present with past gen¬ erations, and which will soon entirely disappear. He was a man of sterling integrity, strong, vigorous mind, very practical in his views, and well informed upon general and local topics. His ancestors were among the most prominent and influential of the early settlers of our county. His father was for many years President of the Hagerstown Bank, and his grand father, Capt. William Heyser, actively participated in the war for American Independence, having commanded a company of eighty-seven men, raised in this town and county, during that war. In looking over the names of these men, we are sur¬ prised at the large number of them that have entire¬ ly disappeared from the registers of the present population, hut time works change, and another century may carry our names into the same obliv- On Sabbth last, his remains were taken to the First Reformed Church, the building of which his grand father superintended one hundred years ago, where services were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Go- heen, and Rev. Mr. Kieffer, the latter preaching a very appropriate and eloquent discourse to a large assemblage of people. The remains were then taken to Rose Hill Cemetery and interred. **The subscriber having declined the Mercantile business in this place, earnestly requests all those indebted to him, or the late Concern of Nathaniel & Robert Rochester, to make immediate payment, that he may be enabled to commence at large his Nail 136 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Genesee river in Western New York. Rochester had visited the Genesee country ten years pre¬ viously and before the year 1800, he had purchased a large tract of land in Livingston County. In 1802 Col. Rochester and Major Carroll had bought a lot of 100 acres, known as the Allan Mill tract. They paid for .this land $17.50 per acre. It was known at tile time as Palls Town. Upon this tract Mr. Rochester laid out a town, and it received the name of ‘•Rochester,* Before leaving, all of the emigrants sold their property in this County. They travelled in carriages accompanied by cov¬ ered wagons in which was carried a lot of house¬ hold and other property and thus the party made its long journey through a country much of which was an almost unbroken wilderness. Mr. Roches¬ ter’s wife was Sophia Beatty. They had twelve children, tjbe eldest of whom was William Beatty Rochester, who practised law in Hagerstown be¬ fore going to New York, having been admitted to the bar upon motion of Moses Tabbs, m March 1809, and afterwards became a distinguish- and Rope Manufactories. He expects those indebted to him (who have it not in their power to make im¬ mediate payment) will settle their Accounts by Bond or Note. All persons having Accounts against him are requested to bring them in for settlement. He will constantly keep a quantity of Nails and Brads, and all kinds of Rope and Twine; and wants an Apprentice for the Rope making business. N. ROCHESTER. Hagerstown, June 25, 1794.—From the Washington Spy. *The following is a brief sketch of the life of Na¬ thaniel Rochester, written by himself for the informa¬ tion of his children: I was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on the 21st of February, 1752. John Rochester, my father, was born at the same place, and died in 1756. Nicholas Rochester, his father, was born in England, and died on the farm where I was born, leaving two sons, John and William. My mother’s name was Hester Thrift, daughter of William Thrift, of Richmond County, adjoining Westmoreland. About 1757, she married a second husband, Thomas Critcher, who removed with his family to Granville County, North Carolina, about 1763. I had but one full brother, John, who was six years older than I. He returned to Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1766, married Ann Jordan and settled on the paternal estate, which he inherited as heir-at-law to my father’s real estate, father dying intestate. I had three full sisters, Ann, Phillis and Hester. The first married Benjamin Raglan and removed to eel Judge. Before leaving Hagerstown he was a captain of one of the militia companies which grew out of the aggression of England. The youngest, a girl, was but two months old when she left Hagerstown. One of Judge Rochester : s sons is William B. Rochester, Paymaster General of the U. S. Army, now on the retired list. Nathan¬ iel Rochester’s youngest son, Henry Eli Rochester, visited Hagerstown in 1881 and several times af¬ terwards. He was but four years old when he left here, and vet he remembered perfectly many objects. He remembered the porch of the house where his father had lived, which was still stand¬ ing in 1881 and Mr. Rochester recalled the sale of his father’s household goods, previously to going to New York and especially the man standing on the porch ringing the bell to bring people to the auction. This excellent gentleman died in 1889. Among his eight children is Mr. Roswell Hart Rochester, Treasurer of the "Western Union Tel¬ egraph Company.* Col. William Fitzhugh, who accompanied the State of Georgia. The second married Samuel Moorse and remained in Granville, North Carolina, and the third married Reuben Pyles, and removed to Ninety-Six, Abbeville County, South Carolina. Soon after the death of my brother his oldest son removed to Danville, in Kentucky, and took all his brothers and sisters with him. My step-father, Thos. Critcher, died in Gran¬ ville County, North Carolina,, in 1778, leaving three sons, Thomas, James and John, and two daughters, who married two brothers, Elijah and Charles Mitch¬ ell. My mother died in 17S4, after raising ten chil¬ dren and losing five when they were young. In the autum of 1768, when 16 shears of age, I was employed by a Scotch merchant named James Monroe, at Hillsborough, Orange County, North Car¬ olina, about forty miles from home. I agreed to serve with him two years at £5 per annum, but at the end of six months he raised my salary to £20 per annum; this continued for two years, after which my salary was raised to £60 per annum, until 1773, when I went into partnership with my employer, and Col, John Hamilton, who was consul for the British government in the Middle States, after the close of the Revolutionary War. In the year 1775 this part¬ nership was dissolved by the commencement of the My first office was Clerk of the Vestry, in 1770. In 1775 I was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety for Orange County, whose business was to promote the revolutionary spirit among the people, to procure arms and ammunition, make collections for the people of Boston, whose harbour was blocked up by the British fleet, and to prevent the sale and use of East India teas. In August of the same year, 1775, I attended as a member of the first Provincial NATHANIEL ROCHESTER. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 137 Rochester and Carroll on their eventful journey through the wilderness to the Genesee country, was a man of mark who had made a reputation as an officer in the Revolutionary Army. At Convention in North Carolina. This convention or¬ dered the raising of four regiments of Continental troops, organized the minute men and militia sys terns, and directed an election for another conven¬ tion to meet in May, 1776, for the purpose of form¬ ing and adopting a constitution and form of govern¬ ment and measures of defence. At this first con¬ vention I was appointed a Major of Militia, Paymas¬ ter to the minute men and militia, and a Justice of the Peace. In February, 1776, the commander of the British forces in New York sent General Alexander McDon¬ ald to Cumberland County, in North Carolina, the inhabitants of which county were mostly Highland Scotch, who had fled from Scotland for their adher¬ ence to the Pretender to the Crown of England in 1745; and so secret were his proceedings that before It was known in other parts of the province he had raised 1,000 men and formed them into a regiment and he had them ready to march for Wilmington, at the mouth of Cape Fear River (about 100 miles), where transports from New York were to meet them. As soon as information of these movements reached Hillsborough, a distance of about 80 miles, the minute men and militia of Orange and Granville Counties collected and marched down to Cross Creek (now Fayetteville), the seat of justice of Cumberland County, where it was understood McDonald and his regiment of tories were embodied. I went with the minute men and militia in my official capacities as Major and Paymaster, and on our arrival at Cross Creek we heard that McDonald and his regiment had set out a few days before for Wilmington to em¬ bark for New York. I was then dispatched by Col. Thackston, our commanding officer, at 8 o’clock at night, with two companies of infantry and one com¬ pany of cavalry in pursuit of the enemy; but on our arrival about daybreak at Devo’s Ferry, about 20 miles from Cross Creek, or headquarters, we met about 500 men with General McDonald on their retreat, they having been met and defeated at Moore’s Creek Bridge by Col. Caswell, commander of a regi¬ ment of minute men. Col. Caswell was afterwards appointed the first Governor of the State. We took the 500 prisoners. Being, however, in a sparsely settled country, where provisions could not be ob¬ tained, I was obliged to discharge all but about 50, who were appointed officers by McDonald, after swear¬ ing those discharged that they would not again take arms against the United Colonies; notwithstanding which they did afterwards join Lord Cornwallis when he marched through North Carolina, in the year 1782. I then returned to headquarters with my com¬ mand and the fifty prisoners, where I found Col. Alex. Martin, of the Salisbury Minute Men, had ar¬ rived with about two thousand minute men and mi¬ litia. He took the chief command. ' Marshall, in his life of Washington, mentions that Martin took these prisoners. They were sent the battle of Yorktown he was a lieutenant of Dragoons, acting as aide to General Fish, of Maryland. In Livingstone County, New York, he became very wealthy and died December 27, under guard as prisoner of war to Frederick Town, in Maryland, where they remained until exchanged. In disarming the prisoners at Devo’s ferry, the Scotch gave up their dirks with much reluctance, they hav¬ ing, as they said, been handed down from father to son for many generations. In May following, 1776, when I was 24 years of age, I attended the convention at Halifax, N. C., as a member, when a constitution or form of govern¬ ment was adopted. Six more regiments of Conti¬ nental troops were ordered to be raised, and their officers appointed, among whom I was appointed Commissary General of military stores and clothing, with the rank and pay of a Colonel, for the North Carolina line, which consisted of ten regiments. This convention organized a government by ap¬ pointing a governor and other State officers, and directed a.n election in November following for mem¬ bers of a State legislature. On the adjournment of the convention I set out for Wilmington, N. C., where the four regiments first raised were stationed, in order to attend to the du¬ ties of my office, and took with me Abishia Thomas as a deputy, who was allowed the pay of a subultern officer, and who has since been a clerk in one of the departments of the General Government. After rid¬ ing to most of the seaport towns in Carolina and Vir¬ ginia to procure military stores and clothing for the Army, I was taken sick at Wilmington, and unable to transact business for a considerable time. My physician and friends advised me to retire from the service, on account of my condition and the unhealth¬ iness of that part of the country. I therefore resign¬ ed a week or two before the election for members of the legislature, but did not return to Hillsborough until some weeks after the election. On my return there I found that I had been elected a Member of the Assembly, which I attended in the winter of 1777, with Nathaniel Macon, who had, a little before the election, returned home from Princeton College, and was elected to the same Assembly. He has since been a member of Congress for about thirty years without intermission. During this session I was ap¬ pointed Lieutenant Colonel of Militia, and in the spring following, Clerk of the Court of Orange Coun¬ ty, which office had been held many years by Gen’) F. Nash, who was killed at the battle of German Town. I held the clerk’s office about two years, and until the fees of office did not pay for the stationery used, owing to the depreciation of the paper cur- This year, 1777, I was appointed a Commissioner to establish and superintend a manufactory of arms at Hillsborough, and went to Pennsylvania with sev¬ eral wagons for bar iron for the factory. When I resigned the clerk’s office I was appointed one of a board of three Auditors of Public Accounts for the State, and a Colonel of Militia. In 1778 I engaged in business with Col. Thos. 138 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 1839, aged 79 years. Col. Fitzhugh belonged to a family wliieh was prominent and influential in Washington County for many years. He was the son of William Fitzhugh, a colonel in the Hart (Henry Clay's father-in-law,) and James Brown, our present minister to France. Col. Hart resided two miles west of Hillsborough, where he had a con¬ siderable estate in land, mills and other'manufactur¬ ing establishments. His residence was about on the line between the Whig and Tory settlements; the Tories committed many depredations on his property, he being a very influential and active Whig. Theie were frequent instances of the Whigs and Tories not only committing depredations on each other in North and South Carolina, but murdering people along their borders. Gen. Gates, who in 1779 com¬ manded the Southern army, advised Col. Hart to re¬ move with his family to Berkeley county, Virginia, where the family of the General resided, and as Col. Hart’s property and his life was endangered by re¬ maining where he was, he took the advice of the General and in the autumn of 1780 removed not to Berkley but to Hagers Town in Maryland, being in an adjoining county though a different State. Col. Hart prevailed upon me to accompany him, pro¬ posing and promising to go into mercantile business in Philadelphia. Soon after we arrived at Hagers- Town he furnished the capital promised, and I pro¬ ceeded to Philadelphia by way of Baltimore (then a small place,) in February, 1781, and took lodging at the “Canastoga Wagon,” a first rate tavern at that time. I was in no hurry to engage in business until I could consult several persons to whom I had letters, and before I had determined on a .plan of business I was taken down with the small-pox in Baltimore; I was confined nine weeks. On discover¬ ing what my complaint was I asked Dr. Burke, a Member of Congress, then sitting in Philadelphia, an old friend and acquaintance from North Carolina, to write Col. Hart informing him of my situation. I presume his information was that probably I would not survive the attack, for on receipt of Dr. Burke’s letter Col. Hart purchased a large landed estate, four miles from Hagers Town, of Col. Sam’l Hughes to the amount of ten thousand pounds specie, and drew an order on me in favor of Hughes for all the capital he furnished to me, which was, I think, about £4,000. (I had of my own about £1,000.) He wrote me at the same time that in case I should recover to return to Hagers Town, and some other business should be given me. This draft was presented to me by Col. Hughes’ agent after I was considered out of danger, and thwarted all my plans of business in Philadelphia. I therefore returned to Hagers Town in April, taking Col. Hart’s daughter home. She had been sent a year or two before to a boarding school, to the care of the celebrated Robert Morris. She was afterwards Mrs. Pindell. ■Soon after my return to Hager Town, I went to North Carolina to settle some business for Col. Hart, returned to Maryland in the autumn and settled on a farm, where I continued until the latter part of British Army. His mother was Ann Frisby, the daughter of Peregrine Frisby of Cecil County and widow of John Rousby. A daughter by Rousby married John Plater. 1783, having in the meantime taken another journey to North Carolina on business for Col. Hart. In November, 1783 (the war being ended and peace declared), I went into business with Col. Hart at Hagers Town, he residing on his farm purchased from Col. Hughes, the business being conducted by me. ’The next year, 1784, we rented Stull’s large merchant mill, and went largely into the purchase of wheat and manufacture of flour. We also established nail and rope factories and did a large business until 1792, when we dissolved partnership and each did business separately. In May 1785, whilst concerned in business with Col. Hart, Col. Elie Williams and I went to Kentucky to look after some lands we held there and a large tract of 5,000 acres held by Col. Hart. We took with us goods to the amount of about £1,100 for the purpose of paying our expenses with the profit. He returned home in July and I in August, having made a net profit of (£1,000) one thousand pounds. In the summer of 1786, I was very ill, and a con¬ sultation of five physicians decided my case to be very desperate, but after being confined many months I gradually recovered. I was married in 1788, being then 36 years of age. In 1790 I went to the State legislature as a member, and was so much disgusted with the in¬ trigue and management among the members, that I afterwards uniformly refused to go again during my residence in Maryland. About the year 1791 I was appointed Postmaster at Hagers Town, and held the office until the year 1797, when I was appointed one of the three Judges of the Washington County Court. I was obliged to resign as Postmaster before I could act as Judge. The office I resigned I procured for my nephew, Robert Rochester, then one of my clerks. I was not educated for the law and not having suffic¬ ient knowledge of court rules, I could not consci¬ entiously hold my position as Judge; I therefore re¬ signed in 1798, having held the office about one year. I discontinued my mercantile business in Hagers Town, and sent Robert Rochester to Bairdstown, in Kentucky, with my stock of goods, when I was again appointed Postmaster, which office I held until 1804. That year I was elected Sheriff of the county, and resigned the office of Postmaster. (Robert Rochester being about 18 years of age only, was soon drawn into dissipated habits at Bairdstown, which induced me to discontinue the musiness at that place). I had some years before established a business in Lexington, Ky., In connection with Cornelius Beatty, a brother-in-law of mine, where we did a good business until he was made a Colonel of Militia and joined Gen’l Anthony Wayne on an expedition against the Indians. His military life unfitted him for business; I therefore went to Kentucky in 1800 and dissolved the concern, and again in 1802 to finally settle my Kentucky business. Before I re¬ turned from Kentucky, in 1800, I visited West Ten- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 139 After serving with credit in the British Army, particularly in the West India Expedition, Col. Fitzhugh retired on half pay to his fine estate, Rousby Hall, near the mouth of the Patuxent, Maryland, where he was living with his wife and two sons, Peregrine and William. He was in feeble health,and had almost lost his sight. Knowing his influence in the County, the British had made overtures to continue his half pay if he would remain neutral, but all overtures were rejected, and he enlisted with zeal in the patriot cause. He sent both of his sons into the American Army and he became a member of the Executive Council of Maryland. Several times raids were made on Rousby Hall by parties of British who landed from ships in the river. One of these was nessee, where I held 640 acres of land, to which I intended to remove with my family, but finding the country at that time very sickly and newly settled with rough inhabitants, I sold the land. Col. Thos. Hart removed to Kentucky in 1794, and settled in Lexington. I continued the nail and rope-making and milling business after dissolving with Col. Hart, the first two until I removed from Maryland. I held the Sheriff’s office three years— until 1807. At the expiration of my term of office I was appointed the first President of the Hagers Town Bank, with a salary of $1,000 per annum. I held this position until 1810, when I removed to the State of New York. In 1808, I was elected an Elector of President and Vice- President of the United States, when Mr. Madison was first elected President and George Clinton Vice- President. After my return from Kentucky,'in Sep¬ tember, 1800, Major Carroll, Col. Fitzhugh, Col. Hilton and I visited the Genesee country in Western New York. Carroll and Fitzhugh purchased 12,000 acres of land, where they now reside. I purchased 400 acres adjoining their land; also, 155 acres at Dans- ville, upon which I built a paper mill in 1810. In 1802 Carroll, Fitzhugh and myself again visited the Genesee country to look after our interests. We then bought the 100-acre lot which is now included in the village of Rochester, at seventeen dollars and fifty cents ($17.50) per acre, and I purchased about 200 acres adjoining my 400-acre lot. In May, 1810, having settled up my mercantile, manufacturing and sheriff’s business, I removed to Dansville, Steuben County, State of New York, where I resided five years, erected a large paper mill and made many other improvements, increasing my land¬ ed estate there to 700 acres or more, which I sold in the winter of 1814 for $24,000, and purchased for $12,728 a farm of 445 acres in Bloomfield, Ontario County, the land being well improved. I resided here three years, say from April, 1815, to April, 1818, when I rented my farm and removed to Rochester. Whilst residing in Bloomfield I was appointed a Director in the Utica Branch Bank at Canadaigua, and resigned in 1823. In 1816 I was appointed an Elector of Presiderft and Vice-President of the United States, when Mr. Monroe was elected President and Daniel D. Tompkins Vice-President. In the winter of 1817 I went to Albany as an agent for the peti¬ tioners for a new county, but did not succeed. In the winter of 1821 I again went on the same business, and succeeded in getting through a law creating the County of Monroe, and in the spring of the same year I was appointed Clerk of the new county, and was elected Member of Assembly for the same coun¬ ty. I spent about four months in Albany in the winter and spring of 1822 as a Legislator. In the spring of 1824 a law was passed granting a charter for the Bank of Rochester. I was appointed one of the Commissioners for taking subscriptions and ap¬ portioning the capital stock, and in June of the same year was unanimously elected President of the Bank, which office, with that of Director, I resigned in December following, having taken an agency in the bank, very much against my inclination, on the solic¬ itation of a number of citizens, but with an express avowal on my part that I would resign as soon as the bank should be organized and in successful operation, which was the case when I resigned; and when my advanced age and bodily infirmities requir¬ ed that I should retire from business, being then within about two months of entering the seventy- fourth year of my age. NATAHNIEL ROCHESTER. The following notice of the death of Nathaniel Rochester is from the Torch Light of May 26, 1831; "Departed this life at Rochester, New York, on the 17th inst., in the 80th years of his age Col. NATHANIEL ROCHESTER, formerly of this place. “Col. R. left behind him to lament his loss, a wife and numerous family of sons and daughters, grand children, and other relations, to whom he had been a most affectionate husband, father and friend. He was indeed a patriarch in the midst of his kin¬ dred and acquaintances, to whom they would always apply with confidence for advice and assistance. He resided for many years in Hagerstown as one of its most respectable inhabitants, whence he removed to Gennesee, twenty-one years ago. For the last fifteen years he lived at Rochester, which he had founded, and which derived its name from him. He had the happiness of seeing the village which he had himself laid out in the woods, become a splen¬ did city, containing fifteen thousand inhabitants. Col. R. as a man, was highly esteemed, and the qual¬ ities of his heart were most estimable. He was hu¬ mane and charitable to the poor; his house was the residence of hospitality and benevolence. He was a citizen of great public spirit, and gave his talents liberally for the promotion of the best interests of society. To crown ail, he was what is pleasing in the sight of God, “an honest man” in every sense of the word. For the last year or two of his life, he was greatly afflicted by disease, but he bore it with great Christian resignation and fortitude, view¬ ing it as a sanctifying preparation for a better world, which he trusted he would enjoy through the merits of a crucified Saviour.—[Communicated.] 140 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD repelled during the absence of Col. Fitzhugh, by Mrs. Fitzhugh., who armed her slaves. The enemy retired without firing a shot. Gaining informa¬ tion of a proposed night assault, Fitzhugh and his family left the house, and that night it was burnt by the invaders. "Upon another occasion, a raid was made upon Col. Fitzhugh’s residence when the whole family, including the two young offi¬ cers and Miss Plator, the grand-daughter of Mrs. Fitzhugh, were at home. The young men had barely time to escape from the back door as the British soldiers entered the front. The old Colonel was arrested and carried through the rain and mud, accompanied by his devoted wife, who had not taken time to dress herself and had no other protection from the falling rain than a military cloak which one of the officers threw around her. Just as the river hank was reached, a half mile distant, it was decided to release the prisoner on parole. They returned home and found that all the negroes had been enticed away, and that Miss Plater had preserved the house from destruction by her excellent conduct.* Soon after the close of the Revolution, Col. Wm. Fitzhugh, Jr., married Miss Anne Hughes, a daughter of Daniel Hughes, of Hagerstown. He came to Washington County and resided, until his removal to New York, at his seat, “The Hive,” near Chewsville. Here his aged father spent the ^Baltimore Patriot July 3, 1856. *The Fitzhugh family is said by all English antiquarians to be Saxon, although the name is Norman. We suspect it is of Danish descent; for their castle was named “Ravensworth,” and the Raven was the standard of the Danes. Besides, William the Conqueror, himself of Danish or Nor¬ wegian descent, did not disturb Bardolph, then Lord of Ravensworth, in his vast possessions. It is prob¬ able he took part with the Conqueror. Banker says Bardolph possessed Ravensworth with divers other Lordships in the time of William the Conqueror. His son, who succceeded him, was named Alraris, then follow in regular descent, Henry, Henry Bar¬ dolph, Henry Hugh, and in time of Edward the First, Fitzhugh, which thereatter was adopted as the family surname. Fitzhugh was no doubt a very common name eight centuries ago. Two were signers of the Magna Charta, and one is found on the Roll of Bat¬ tle Abbey. Those we suspect were Norman, not relations of the Ravensworth family. This latter family were leaders of the Crusades, and took an active part on the side of the “Lancasters” in the war of the Roses. Lord Fitzhugh, of Ravensworth, married a sister of Warwick, the King Maker, and Hume mentions him as a leader of a rebellion against Edward the Fourth, after Warwick Tenth. latter years of his life and when he died, at a great age, he was buried in the old Episcopal graveyard in Hagerstown. Col. William Fitzhugh had a large family; among them were William II. Fitz¬ hugh, who was three times elected shenii of Wash¬ ington County and who served in other official positions, Dr. Daniel Fitzhugh and Samuel, who went to Western New York with their father and James who moved to Kentucky. One of his daughters married the Rev. Dr. Backus, a dis¬ tinguished Presbyterian clero-vman: another, Ger- ritt Smith, a leading Abolitionist of Peterboro, N. Y.; another, Commodore Swift, and a fourth James Birney, another Abolitionist leader of Na¬ tional reputation and the first candidate of that party for President. ' The old Colonel’s other son, Peregrine, attained the rank of captain in the Revolutionary Army, and served for a time as aide to General Washington. He married Miss Eliza hoik Chew, of Chew’s farm, below Williams¬ port, the sister of Mrs. Benjamin Galloway. Cap¬ tain Fitzhzugh left Washington County in 1799 for Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario, where he raised a large family. His widow died there in 185G.* Major Charles Carroll, Rochester’s third associate, was a cousin of Charles Carroll, of Car¬ rollton. He was one of the wealthiest citizens of Washington County, and lived in a large stone house a short distance from Hagerstown on the This is the last mention of the name in general his¬ tory. The direct male line failed in the time of Heury the Eighth, and the estate descended to Thomas Dacres, who had intermarried in the family. “Cath- rin Parr,” last wife of Henry the Eighth, was a grand mother of the last Lord Fitzhugh. Almost the last Catholic Bishop of London was John, a son of the same Lord. After the extinction of the direct male line of Ravensworth, we find the name mention¬ ed by Captain Cook, who was hospitably entertained by the President of the East India Company at Can¬ ton, Mr. Fitzhugh, and who we suppose called a Sound, near “Vancouver's Island,” in honor of him, for we cannot imagine how else the name Fitzhugh should have been given to that Sound. Miss Emily Fitzhugh, of Southampton, England, in a recent correspondence with Mr. John Gordon, of Baltimore, speaks of her father and great uncle as having held appointments in China. Her great uncle is no doubt the one mentioned by Captain Cook. She became interested, she says, in her namesakes this side of the Atlantic from conversa¬ tion with Miss Sedgwick. But Miss S, was only ac¬ quainted with the New York branch of the Fitzhugh family, who removed from Virginia to Maryland, thence to New York. These two sisters of the name, strange to say, intermarried with two distinguished OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. HI Greencastle road. This house is now standing, and belongs to the estate of the late Gov. Wm. T. Hamilton. The property, which comprised about fourteen hundred acres of land extending along the northern limits of Hagerstown, was known as “Belvue” and it is a curious circumstance that when the County Almshouse was built upon a por¬ tion of this tract in 1879, Mr. John L. JBikle, clerk to the County Commissioners, suggested “Belvue Asylum” as the name for it, without knowing the original name of the tract. Major Carroll’s family became prominent in New York. -He left three sons, one of whom was a representa¬ tive in Congress from New York from 1843 to 1847. Some years before the time of which we are now writing, Washing-ton County lost a promising son in a most tragic and glorious manner. Mid¬ shipman Israel was in the service under Commo- Abolittonists (and married well,) Hon. Gerrit Smith and Mr. James G. Birney. This branch of the family is descended from the Masons, of Gunston, and in¬ herit much of their military and adventurous spirit. Their ancestor, Col. William Pitzhugh, whose mother was a Mason, was a Colonel in the British army at the time of the Revolution. He refused to fight against America, surrended his commission, and we find was detained as a prisoner during the war. The original settler, William Fitzhugh, was the son of Henry Pitzhugh, of Bedfordshire, England, who removed to London to practice law. William was his second son, his eldest was named Henry, a Cap¬ tain in the British army, and a great favorite at Court in the reign of Charles the Second. William removed to the country about 1670, and in 1673 married Sarah Tucker, of Westmoreland. She had not attained her 11th year at the time of her mar- dore Preble in the war with Tripoli. Volunteers were called for on the desperate,service of carrying a fire-ship into the harbor of Tripoli, and young Israel was one of the volunteers. The ketch Intrepid was fitted up as a fire-ship, and put under the command of Captain Somers who, with his brave crew of volunteers, drifted into the harbor on the night of the 4th of September 1804. Every provision had been made for the escape of the crew before the explosion. The progress of the fire-ship was watched with intense interest. The explosion soon occurred, but the heroes did not return. What happened to them, or how the premature explosion occurred, was never known, for no one was left to tell the tale. It was said that the mangled remains of Israel were seen but this is not certain. Midshipman Israel was a nephew of General 0. H. Williams and Eli Wil¬ liams. The latter adopted and reared him. riage. His son Henry married Susan Cook, of Glou¬ cester; her mother came to the colony from England soon after the Bacon’s Rebellion. All the Fitzhugh’s of America ar^ descended from the William above mentioned. The eldest male branch of the family has become extinct. Thus William, eldest son of the first settler who married Mary Lee, had one son, Henry, who married a Miss Carter. He had only one son, William Pitzhugh, of Chatham, who married a Miss Randolph. William of Chatham, left one son, the late William H. Pitzhugh, of Fairfax, who mar¬ ried the beautiful Miss Goldsborough, of Maryland, and died childless. Bishop Meade is descended from the Fitzhughs. Mrs. Custis of Arlington, was a sister of William H. Pitzhugh. She left only a daughter, who married Colonel Robert E. Lee, of the United States Army.—George Pitzhugh, in De- Bow's Review, 1860. CHAPTER X t HE people of Washington County warmly supported President Jefferson* in his re¬ sentment of the outrages upon American vessels and the impressment of naturalized American citizens, which brought on the War of 1812. Their representatives in Congress, Roger Nelson and his successor, Samuel Ringgold, were strong Republicans and voted to sustain the Admin¬ istration. In Hagerstown public sentiment express¬ ed itself in the usual way—namely, by holding public meetings. One of these meetings was called to be held in the Court House, July 14, 1807, to adopt resolutions “upon the das¬ tardly outrages committed by the British Squad¬ ron stationed on our coast on the flag and citizens of the Hnited States.” Over this meeting Dr. Richard Pindell was called to preside. This distinguished gentleman had served his country as a surgeon in the Revolution¬ ary army, and he was among the first to raise his voice for resistence to the encroachments of Eng¬ land. Strong resolutions were adopted, and it was ordered that copies of them should be sent by Upton Lawrence, the secretary, to the Presi¬ dent of the United States and the Governor of Maryland. An estimate may be made of the char¬ acter of the leading citizens of Washington County in those days by a consideration of the men who composed the committee which drafted these reso¬ lutions. They were Nathaniel Rochester, Gen. Thomas Sprigg, Samuel Hughes, Jr., Dr. Richard Pindell, Col. William Fitzhugh, Major Charles Carroll, Dr. Frisby Tilghman, Col. George Nigh, Dr. Christian Boerstler, TJpton Lawrence, Dr. Jacob Schnebley, Col. Daniel Hughes, Col. Adam ■Ott, William Keyser and Alexander Neill. It is doubtful whether any County in Maryland could at this time furnish such an array of men. On the 17th of July a call was published in the newspapers for a meeting at Smith’s tavern to form a company of volunteers in response to the President’s desire. The meeting was held and the “Hagerstown Volunteer Rifle Company” was formed. John Ragan, Jr., was elected Cap¬ tain, Thomas Post and William B. Rochester, Lieutenants. Although this company was mustered in and out of the regular army before the begin¬ ning of the war and saw no active service, each one of the commissioned officers afterwards took an honorable part in the war. Ragan entered the army and commanded a company at New Orleans and a regiment at Bladensburg. In the latter battle he was injured by his horse and taken prisoner. He died in Hagerstown in 1816 at the early age of thirty-four years. Post also commanded a company during the war and was Sheriff of the county afterwards. Of Rochester we have already spoken. He removed to New York with his father, Nathaniel Rochester before the war began, but he was there elected captain of a company and served in the campaigns along the Canadian frontier. Besides this company there were a great many others in the county then or shortly afterwards. Ragan’s company, along with those of Captains Henry Lewis, Joseph Chaplain of Sharpsburg, John Harry, Daniel Hughes, Jr., and others composed the Eighth Reg¬ iment of Maryland Militia which was under the command of old Colonel John Carr, the veteran of two wars. This regiment along with those of 144 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Colonel Samuel Ringgold, Colonel Jacob Schnebly and a number of detached companies, composed General Thomas Spring's Brigade. Otho H. Williams, the nephew of Washington’s staff officer, was Captain of the American Blues and Captain Frisby Tilghman of the Washington Hussars. All these troops gathered in Hagerstown in May 1808 and were reviewed by Gen. John Eager Howard. The whole County was in a fever of military excitement for some years. There was parading and marching and martial music and drilling incessant¬ ly. Col. Tilghman, who lived at old Tilghman place in the Tilghmanton District, known as Rockland, drilled his Washington Huzzars at the cross roads, now known as Lappans. But the country is an unfavorable place to keep a militia company to¬ gether as it is dull work for the militiaman to drill with no one to look on. The military enthusiasm was greatly stimulated by the patriotic songs writ¬ ten by Thomas Kennedy then of Williamsport. They were published in the Maryland Herald and afterwards gathered and published in a volume. But it was believed that the trouble with Great Britain was settled and all the companies which had entered the servi.ce> were mustered out again before hostilities began. At the election in 1808, the Democrats carried Washington County and Nathaniel Rochester was elected Elector of President and Yice-President on the James Mad¬ ison and George Clinton ticket. The delegates to the legislature that year were Frisby Tilghman, Win, GaUbv. William Downey and John Bowles. The inauguration of Madison, March 4, 1809, was the occasion of great rejoicing in Hagerstown, Which manifested itself by the drinking of as many toasts as there were stars on the flag. There was a great ringing of bells and firing of cannon. The people assembled at the Court House and listened to an address by William L- Brent. Nathaniel Rochester was the chairman of the meet¬ ing. Suitable resolutions were adopted on Jeffer¬ son the retiring and Madison the new President and copies transmitted to each of those gentlemen. The dinner was elaborate and consisted in part of an ox roasted whole. In the evening the town was illuminated and bands of music paraded the streets and Col. Henry Lewis displayed a full length portrait of the new President on the sec-,nd story of his stone residences the old Hager residence, at the northeast comer of the Square and East Washington Street, The Democrats or Republicans were all this time in the ascendent in Washington County. Samuel Ringgold, the candidate of that party was elected three times in succession to the House of Representatives, namely in 1808, 1810 and 1812. At the Presidential election in 1812 the Clinton Electors of the District were Henry W ill i am s of Frederick County and Daniel Rentch, of Wash¬ ington County. This ticket carried Frederick County by 464 and Allegany by 78 majority. The Madison Electors, Frisby Tilghman and Joshua Cockey were defeated but they carried Washington County by 424 majority. In 1812 Samuel Ringgold voted with the majority for the declaration of war with Great Britain and then went home to take his share in the war he voted for. Washington, and Freder¬ ick Counties constituted one of the districts of State which should furnish a regiment of cavalry. In this regiment Frisby Tilghman was appointed Lieutenant Colonel and O. II. Williams, captain of the American Blues, Major Moses Tabbs was elected Captain of Williams’ old company and Edward Greene Williams was made captain of the Hussars in place of Tilghman. Early in 1812 a recruiting office was opened in Hagerstown by Lieut. John Miller of the regular army. The inducements offered to volunteers were a pay of five. dollars a month, a bounty, upon enlisting, of sixteen dollars and the promise, upon honorable discharge of three months pay and a hundred and sixty acres of land which, in case of his death in the service, should go to bis heirs. The people of Washing-ton County quickly responded to the call for enlistment and a great many companies were formed. The County’s quota was filled without resort to draft and” there were over six hundred men from the County in the army. Sam¬ uel Ringgold was General of the Second Brigade of the Third Division. Major Thomas B. Pot- tinger was Brigade Inspector. In this Brigade vrerc Lieut. Colonel David Schnebly’s Eighth Regiment, of which John McClain and Christian Ilager were Majors; Lieut. Col. Daniel Malott’s 1 entli Regiment; Lieut. Col. John Ragan’s Twen¬ ty-fourth Regiment and a squadron of horse com¬ posed of the Blues and Hussars, under Major 0. II. Williams. Among the captains who had com¬ mand of the Washington County Companies, were Thus. B. Hall, of the Washington Rangers, David Cushwa. of Clears pring, Joseph Hunter, Capt. Wherntt, Girard Slonebraker, of Funkstown (the father of the present. John W. Stonebraker, the OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 145 owner of the Antietam Paper Mill, and for six years president of the County Commissioners), John Miller, of Sharpsburg,* Stevens, of Hancock, Lewis Chapline and Blackford, of Sharpsburg; Thomas Quantrill, Jacob Barr and George Shry- ock* Henry Lowry and Captain Marker’s, of the Mountain Rangers. In August 1812 Captain Thomas Quantrill led his company off to Annap¬ olis, In the following March Major Williams was ordered to Annapolis. In May three of Wash¬ ington County Companies, those of Captain Mil¬ ler, of Sharpsburg; Wherritt, of Funks town, and *List of officers and men in Capt. John Miller’s Company of Shaiipsburg. Recruited at Sharpsburg April 30, 1811 and received or drafted into the service of the United States May 1813, disbanded July 5, 1813, copied from the original muster roll in posses¬ sion of Mr. John P. Smith, of Sharpsburg: John Miller, Captain. Jacijb Rohrback, 1st Lieut. Ignatius Drury, 2nd Lieut. Wm. Rohrback, Ensign. Nathan W. Hays, 1st Sergeant. David Highberger, 2nd Sergeant. Charles Cameron, 3d Sergeant. Regin Reel, 4th Sergeant. Robert Moore, 1st Corporal. James Cowarder, 2nd Corporal. Thos. Nicholson, 3rd Corporal. John Beachley, 4th Corporal. John Clayton, Drummer. PRIVATES. John Waugh Thomas Higgs David T. Thomas Geo. L. Lathan Luke Baker Joseph Barrick Kelly Cox George Hoffmaster Peter Onshipper Henry Nicholas John Jones Joshua Jones Henry Hoffman Jacob Knode Henry Dick Robert Twig John Muckleworth David Updecraft George Hines Christian Ensminger David Thomas John Rhodes Joseph Hedrick James Crandle Daniel Tice Benjamin Carnes Daniel Edwards Moses Crampton John Shroy Jacob Hatfield John Conly Thomas Powers Samuel Patterson Thomas Moore William Boone Hugh Conor Charles Seamons William Brashears William Gerram Joshua Hammond Henry Deibert Israel Chusha Peter Hill Benjamin Potter Joseph Seamons Samuel Durf Daniel Ortman Christian Deibert Ignatius Barber Theodore Malotte Isaac Barton Martin Barnhisel Thomas Potter Thomas Griffin Jacob Slusman Gabriel Isingbarger Christian Farber *The Soldiers of the War of 1812. (From the Torch Light April 18, 1855.) Since the passage of the Bounty Land Act, the muster rolls of all the companies in the country, that participated in its different wars, have been reproduc¬ ed from their musty depositories, and thoroughly canvassed, by Claim Agents. From one of these we have obtained the names of the members of three Hagers-Town Companies, who were either at Bladens- burg or North Point, or at both engagements, in the war of 1814, which we append for public infor¬ mation:—- HAGERSTOWN VOLUNTEERS. Thomas Quantrill, Captain, Daniel Sprigg, 1st Lieut. George Harry, 2d do. William Hall, Ensign, Thomas Keen, 1st Sergeant, Wm. McCardell, 2d do. George Kreps, 3d do. John Harry, 4th do. John Hunter, 1st Corporal, Daniel Oster, 2d do. Benjamin Smith, 3d do. John Cellers, 4th do. Cha’s. Duwasser, Musician. PRIVATES. John Anderson William Allison William Armour Samuel Bayley Jacob Beehart John Billenger Samuel Benner Samuel W. Barnes John Conley John Cramer Andrew Collins Alexander Coke John T. Cook John Deitz Daniel Daup Peter Glossbrenner John McDonough Soloman Man John N. Miller Jacob Morter John Martiney Robert McClanhan Anthony B. Martin Joseph Neal James Noble John O’Ferrall Columbus Patton Andrew Poffenbarger John Schnebly Thomas Soper Joseph Stroud Samuel Shank Jacob Goyer William Harry Joseph Hemphill Philip Helser Fred’k Humrichouse Samuel Harry Daniel Hawkin John Johnston Jacob Kealy Jesse Keallyer Jacob Kinkerly Frederick Knease George Lynes Jacob Loney Jacob Locker William McPherrin Daniel Smith John Shipley William Schleigh James Sterret David Shryock Peter Smith John Sneedor John Smith John Srit John Wagrnan Lazarus Wilson Samuel Wilson Joseph Wareham Levin West George Winters George Wise. 146 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Stevens, of Hancock, were ordered to Baltimore. In July 1813 most of the companies were sent home, but were the next year ordered back to the defence of Baltimore and took part in the battle of North Point and Bladensburg. In the latter battle which took place August 24,’1814, were Colonel Ragan's regiment and the cavalry troop of Major Otho Holland Williams, which belonged to Col. Tilghman’s regiment. This squadron was composed of Captain John Barr’s American Blues and Captain Edward Greene Williams’ Washington Hussars. In this engage¬ ment Col. Eagan as has been already said, was wounded and taken prisoner. But the great body of the Washington County men gained no glory in the fight. It was a matter of great surprise HAGERSTOWN CAVALRY. Jacob Barr, Captain, David Newcomer, 1st Lieut. Samuel Rohrer, 2d do. Henry Kealhofer, Cornet, Jacob Huyett, Sergeant, Benjamin Kershner, do. Otto Adams, do. Jacob Kershner, do. Samuel Alter, Corporal, Levy Rench, do. Frederick Rohrer, do. John Wolgamot, do. Philip Binkley, Q. M. Ser’gt. John Kealhofer, Jacob Leider, Blacksmith, Joseph Eakle, Trumpeter. PRIVATES. Jacob Adams William Adams William Anderson John Winders Jacob Binkley John Miller Henry Miller James Dillihunt Jacob Knode John Witmore Jacob Eakle John Repp Edward H. Wilson Joseph Kindell John Cellers Moses Fabbs George Krider Daniel Kline Henry Gurlaugh James Berry Abraham Degraft Henry Waller Frederick Kitz Daniel Miller George Thomas David Clagett John Goll John Howard George Kershner Perry Wayman MILITIA. HAGERSTOWN George Shryock, Captain, Nathaniel Posey, 1st Lieut. David Artz, 2d do. Christian C. Fechtig, Ensign, Matthew Bateman, 1st Sergeant, Henry Biegler, 2d do. Samuel Barr, 3d do. Henry Protzman, 4th do. Thomas Sturr, 1st Corporal, William Miles, 2d do. William Smith, 3d do. Jacob Hess, 4th do. Henry Creager, Drummer. Frederick Kinsel, Fifer. PRIVATES. Jacob Apprecht William Stephen William Armstrong William Loaper Jacob Baker John Stokes Samuel Abbott John Blackburn Moses Bower William Baily John Creager Rezin Derumple Samuel Fiegley George Fockler John Gray Peter Gieser Samuel Hawkey George Harrison William Heath V. P. G. Irwing Jacob Kline James Adams Andrew Burns Joseph Bradshaw Joseph Bowman Conrad Blentlinger Frederick Betz Jacob Barr William Creager Jacob Emrick Michael Fague Jacob Gieger George Grubb Jacob Gower Henry Huntzberry Henry House John Henry William Jackson Henry Kinkle Samuel Lantz Jonas Lizer John Locher George Mayentall Thomas Moore Michael Monahan Lambert Nukason John Ropp George Rinald John Sager James M. Thompson James Wilkinson George Washington Junas Walleslager John sYost Thomas Bond James Curry Joseph Palmer Samuel Lutz John Tice James Aldnage Henry Paldurf George Craul David Tschudy Jacob Lizer William Lizer John Lora William M. Moore James Matere John Motzabaugh Jesse Right Daniel Rench Gerard Smith Samuel Sailor John Sowers Jacob Shaw Thomas Parkes Rudolph Tarlton John Traver Matthias Walluck John Yeider Peter Zimmer William Shaw Matthias Saylor Michael Ridenour John Mates John Troxell John Buterbaugh John Murry Henry Buterbaugh Peter River The three Captains, Quantrill, Barr and Shryock, and several other officers of these companies, are yet in the land of the living, but death has been busy among the remainder during the forty-one years which have elapsed since the war. A number of names in the above lists have become extinct in this county, those who answered to them at the Sergeant’s call having long since passed away without a sur¬ vivor to perpetuate them; and but few of those whose names have not died out are now here to receive the reward for their services, which has at last been wrung from their country. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 147 in the County in those days of slow movement, how soon after the battle many of our soldiers reappeared at their homes. Many of the individ¬ ual soldiers were subjected to taunts for years and many serious personal difficulties and conflicts grew out of them. Very different, however, was the behavior of these same men the following month at the Battle of North Point. There Cap¬ tain Quantrell’s Hagerstown Volunteers, and Col. Tilghman’s Cavalry* were especially commended for their bravery and Captain Shryock and his men performed a conspicuous part in the defence of Baltimore. But the two sons of Washington County who were most conspicuous in this war, fought on the northern frontier. The first was Captain Elliott, of the Niagara, who shared with Commodore Perry the honor of gaining the great naval victory of Lake Erie by going in an open boat along the whole line of battle to bring the schooners into action. In after years indiscreet friends by making odious comparisons and derog¬ atory remarks got these two brave men into enmity to each other which culminated in a challenge to Perry by Elliott. The other soldier from this county who was conspicuous in the operations on the northern frontier, was Lieut. Col. Charles G. Boerstler, son of the distinguished Dr. Christopher Boerstler, of Funkstown. He ni the regular army and died at New Orleans November 21, 1S17. On the 24th of June 1813, Col. Boerstler was detach¬ ed with five hundred men to dislodge a British picket at a place called Beaver Dams. The com¬ mand, whilst going through the woods were set upon by a body of British and Indians and their ammunition being nearly exhausted and being *A Colored Veteran of 1812 Wants a Pension.— Under this caption, “J. P. M.” the Special Annapolis Correspondent of the Baltimore American, gives the substance of the petition of a colored man, residing in Frederick City, praying for a pension for services rendered during the War of 1812. As the names of gentlemen, well-known and distinguished in the past history of our county, appear in the petition, we give the Correspondent’s account of it as follows: “The petition states that the claimant, early in the summer of 1814, accompanied Colonel Tilghman's regiment of Cavalry from Washington county, as steward to Dr. Hammond and his aide. When the regiment arrived at Washington city the aide was dismissed, and the claimant (Neale) was appointed aide in his iplace. His duties were to attend the Doctor on the battlefield, carry his case of surgical instruments and assist in the care of the wounded. He was armed and equipped as a soldier, “in order to fight the enemy when hard pressed.” From Washington the command to which the claimant was attached was ordered to Prince George’s county, near Mr. West’s plantation, and from there to Benedict, where they encountered the enemy. The forces con¬ sisted of Colonel Duvall’s Regiment of Light Dra¬ goons, Captain William’s Company of Horse and Captain Stull’s Company of Riflemen. A severe skir¬ mish took place and the command fell back to Woodward and drew up in line of battle. The ene¬ my made a detour and proceeded to Marlboro in pur¬ suit of Commodore Barney, who, on hearing of the approach of the British, “mounted his men, blew up his flotilla and retreated before their advancing col¬ umns, which far outnumbered him in men and am¬ munition.” The petitioner then says: “Our forces then marched to the northeast side of Marlboro, where we found the British had thrown out pickets and assumed the defensive. While in that locality a gentleman came to our commanding officer and asked that a company be detailed to go several miles and rescue a number of beeves which had been captured by the enemy. While the Colonel was pre¬ paring to go the British trumpeters blew an advance, and in less than half an hour the British forces were in Marlboro. The Colonel ordered his forces to fail back, when brisk skirmishing took place, and lasted with short intervals till we reached Bladensburg. Arriving there cold, wet and hungry, not having tasted food for two days and a night, we found a provision wagon, and, after satisfying our hunger, we came in contact with the British pickets. After being on duty all night, we in the early gray of the morning of August 24th, under command of General Winder, prepared for the battle of Bladensburg. About twelve o’clock the British opened fire from the hill, and with their rockets set the broom sedge and fences on fire. The firing continued until near two o’clock, when our men became panic-stricken and retreated in disorder. We reached Baltimore before the battle of North Point. Upon the night of our arrival it was reported that the British had passed Fort McHenry, and were sailing to Spring Garden, from which point they intended to capture Baltimore. 1 was on the ground fully armed, and ready to defend the ladies and children, who were crying in a heartrending manner around me. At this place I received a shot in my hand, caused in this wise: The horse ridden by Dr. Hammond became restive from the loosening of the saddle girth, which caus¬ ed it to turn. I dismounted from my horse to ad¬ just the saddle, when one of the pistols in the doc¬ tor’s holster went off.—The ball passed through my hand near the fore finger, causing a very painful wound.” “As illustrating the march of public opinion 1 will mention the fact that the above petition is endorsed by Hon. Wm. P. Maulsby, Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit; Hon. John A. Lynch, Associate Judge of the same Circuit; Hon. P. H. Mar¬ shall and others. J. P. M—Herald and Torch, Feb 2, 1870, 148 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECOED deceived into believing the opposing force much larger than it really was, Col. Boerstler surren¬ dered. He wrote a letter to his father explaining to him the circumstances of his surrender and showing that it was demanded on the score of humanity as otherwise all his men would have been slaughtered. Col. W. Scott added a post¬ script to the letter begging the old Doctor to be¬ lieve that his son “is not condemned for being unfortunate.”* In the Congressional election in 1814 Samuel Ringgold was the Democratic candidate and John Baer federalist or peace candidate. Baer was successful by about a hundred and fifty majority. Washington County gave Ringgold a majority of a hundred and fifty, but there were fully five hundred Democratic votes absent from Washing¬ ton County in the army and this is what defeated Ringgold. But it is possible that he might even then have been successful but for a charge which was brought against him, namely that he had unlawfully ordered the militia into service. When Washington was threatened by the British Ring- gold ordered his brigade, which had been mustered out of active service to the defence of the Capital as he had ample authority to do. The brigade assembled at Boonsboro and there being informed that the presence of the troops at Washington would not be required and it being a time of the year when the men were needed on their farms, the General immediately disbanded them. This Wry proper and patriotic action was made die subject of a serious charge. Gen. Ringgold was again a candidate in 1816 and the charge was repeated, but the people repudiated it and elected Ringgold. The lesson of the embargo taught the people the folly of being entirely dependent on foreign nations for its manufactured goods and there was an earnest effort in Washington County as else¬ where to establish factories. The Hagerstown Herald of Oct. 4, 1809, announced the fact that in the preceding eighteen months fourteen carding mills had been erected and all were busy. There was also a spinning machine of three hundred spindles and others were about to be erected by E. G. Gibbs, who had made them all and had an interest in all. Several weavers had introduced the flying shuttle, the advantages of which were incalculable. There was a general preference;, added the Herald, for the home products, “which whilst not so stylish as foreign, were better suited to republican manners.” There was also a factory for bridle bits and stirrup irons. In the year 1813 the Herald was the only English newspaper pub¬ lished in Washington County. It was the suc¬ cessor of the Washington Spy. Thomas Grieves, the publisher of the Herald, had married Phoebe Herbert, the widow of Stewart Plerbert, the foun¬ der of the Spy and had changed the name of the Spy into the Hagerstown Herald. This year Grieves associated his step-son, Stewart Herbert, with him in the publication of the Herald. Grieves died in Cumberland in 1840 and Stewart Herbert lived until 1853. Richard Williams was the first apprentice in the office of the Spy. In 1802 he established the “Farmers’ Repository” but it was short lived and Williams went off to the war as Lieutenant of a volunteer compapny. He died in Charlestown, W. Va., in 1852. In 1809 Wil¬ liam McPheryin started “The Gazette.” It lasted just four years and suspended in 1813. In 1814 0. IT. W. Stull and other influential gentlemen established the Torch Light and William D. Bell, a young man who had been in the army, was the first editor. Stull was the son of old Judge Stull. He was afterwards Secretary of the Territory of Iowa, appointed by President Harrison. He died July 1867, aged eighty-four years at the home of his son-in-law, James 11. Schley, in Cumberland. The old Herald was published until 1824. It was then bought by Dr. John Reynolds and trans¬ *Herald and Torchlight May 11, 1870, contains the following notice of the death of an old soldier: On Friday morning last, John Harrington, well known as an old soldier of the War of 1812, died very suddenly of Paralysis, at his residence on East Washington Street of this town, aged 89 years and 6 days. Notwithstanding the extreme age of the de¬ ceased, up to within two days of his death, he walked our streets and moved in our midst with an energy and sprightliness seldom witnessed in one of his years. He was, indeed, a remarkable man in this respect, but he was most notable, during his long residence in this County, for his passionate, all- absorbing love 'of country, which was ever upper¬ most in his mind. Having enlisted in Baltimore during the War of 1812, he marched six hundred miles to the Canadian frontier, and there, under Gen. Scott, whose memory he revered, participated in the fearful, sanguinary battle of Lundy’s Lane, and near its close was severely wounded in several places, the honorable marks of which he carried to his grave. He received a Pension from Congress for his services, and some years ago the Legislature of Maryland presented him with a fine Rifle which he prized very highly, but which was a poor reward for his gallant services from his native State. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 149 ferred to Mr. Bell, then the sole proprietor of the Torch Light. Its publication was discontinued. In October 181G, a colored woman known as “Mammy Lucy” died in Hagerstown. - It was generally believed that she was a hundred and thirty years old, and that her son had been a servant to Col. Crcssap and it was so announced in the papers. Before this, in November 1809, Mrs. Rosanna Stake, the mother of A. K. Stake, died at the residence of her son in Hagerstown, at the age of a hundred and two years and three months. At the time of her death she had a hun¬ dred descendants living. Col. William Van Lear died February 11, 1815, at the age of fifty-eight. He was brigade major under Gen. Wayne and in¬ spector of Lafayette’s divison before the surren¬ der of Cornwallis. He was wounded at the battie of Green Springs and at the close of the war, settled in Washington County. George Beltzhoover’s tavern, where the Bald¬ win now stands, was known in 1814 as the Globe Inn and was kept by 0. IT. W. Stull. Mr. Stull was afterwards Post Master of the town but left and settled in Burlington, Iowa. Christian Fech- tig kept the Columbian Inn on Washington street and Benj. Light the Black Horse Inn, which was afterwards known as the Antietam House and occupied the corner where the Hotel Hamilton now stands. At that time the bricks were painted alternately red and black like a checker board. Near where the Franklin House stands was the “Golden Swan” kept by a man named Saylor. George Fague kept the house opposite the Lutheran Church and Henry Strause the tavern on the S. W. corner of the Square. The manufacture of Irats was a considerable industry. Henry Mid- dlekauff, John Julius and John Crumbaugh all had prosperous shops. John Creager made curled hair mattresses and Brantlinger made gloves and buckskin breeches. After Brantlinger’s death his sign, which showed a pair of buckskin breeches and a deer was used in a practical joke by young Christian Fechtig, a youthful and very bright wag. It was one of the strangest customs of the time to make a kind of “jollification” of sitting up with a corpse. Young men were invited to perform this duty and were expected to bring their sweethearts with them and frequently a consider¬ able company of these merry watchers would be gathered into a house of mourning. The boy Fechtig was one night one of a party watching by the corpse of a boy. He left his companions and went out to have some fun changing signs. Old Dr. Young had bought Brantlinger’s sign and had his own name painted on the reverse side and nailed it over the door of his office in the roughcast house at the corner of Antietam and Potomac streets. Fechtig reversed it and when the old Doctor came out the next day he found Brantlinger’s breeches over his door with the notice that he was a breeches and glove maker. Even more incensed were John and Hugh Ken¬ nedy, on the southeast corner of the Square where Roessner now is, and who had the largest store in the town, to find over their door a sign reading “Beer and Cakes.” This Fechtig had taken from old Mrs. Steel’s shop on Washington street where James I. Hurley’s house stood. Old Dr. Young, above mentioned, was a well known character. He' died July 23 , 1838, and his dust reposes in the yard of the old Pres¬ byterian Church on South Potomac street, where he was buried after living in this world a full century. During the latter years of his life he would spend the summer afternoons dozing in his chair before the window of his office, or “shop” as a physician’s office was called in those days, occasionally arousing to kill flies with whisk- broom, which he enticed within his reach by smear¬ ing molasses on his shoes. After the old man’s death, it was under the floor of this “shop” that a hair trunk was found which contained gold coin to the value of many thousands of dollars. Dr. Young was a native of Ireland, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and of the Medical Uni¬ versity of Edinburg. He came to this country before the revolution and attained a high position as a phpysician and a good man. Previously to the building of the Hagerstown Academy the town did not enjoy the best facilities for educating the young. There was, however, one excellent teacher—Elijah B. Mendenhall. He had studied law but abandoned that profession for teaching. He carried into his new vocation considerable learning. He taught the different branches of English and frequently sallied forth at the head of a class, with compass and chain to give practical lessons in surveying on the commons. When Hagerstown was laid out two tracts -vyere reserved as “commons” upon which the peo¬ ple of the town pastured their cows, and nearly every family had a cow. One of these tracts com¬ prised all of the town north of Church street and the other was east of Mulberry street and south 150 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of Ladle Spring. In this latter one, on the hill now crowned by the Hagerstown Seminary, was a large cannon which was fired to celebrate great occasions. Another piece of artillery which was used for the sajtte purpose, was placed on the hill west of Walnut street and north of Church, now occupied by a steam saw mill. The first of these cannon exploded at a celebration of Gen. Jackson’s vie'nrv at New Orleans and George Boward was killed by a fragment, and Charles Gelwig so ser¬ iously wounded that his leg was amputated. The other cannon also exploded and broke the thigh of a bystander. At the south end of the Lutheran Church on South Potomac street stood a small log school house, kept by Mr. Ricknecker who taught a num¬ ber of urchins in the German language. Any account of the customs of our people eighty years ago would be incomplete without a reference to “Bellsniekol” and “Christkindle” who were in their glory about Christmas time. The former seldom appeared in the day. With face concealed behind a mask, he patrolled the streets at night carrying a bell, nuts and cakes to reward good children and a rawhide to punish bad ones. During the time when it was supposed he might be making his rounds there was no fear the child¬ ren would leas® the firesides of their homes after dark. Christmas and Easter were both celebrated with great joy. Christmas trees for the former festival and colored eggs for t'lie latter, never failed. The colored eggs were laid in the garden and the children sought for them on Easter morn¬ ing, never doubting that the rabbits had laid them. And the gardens in those days were radiant with the blossoms of the most beautiful flowers. The German love for them was in full possession. A home without flowers was scarcely considered a home. In Funkstown, which was largely peopled by persons who had more recently left the Fath¬ erland the gardens were still more beautiful. The Boerstlers, the Shafers, the Knodes, Shroders, Beck! cys and Stonebrakers vied with each other in floriculture and the result was the most beau¬ tiful flower gardens in the State. Wedding parties frequently came to Hagers¬ town from the surrounding country. The bride and groom would come horseback accompanied by a large escort of friends and neighbors. After the marriage ceremony the company would repair to Cook’s Tavern on North Potomac street where an entertainment would be awaiting them. Dan¬ cing and merry making would be indulged in all night and the cavalcade would proceed homeward by the morning light. As the boundary of the town was readied the party wen:id halt and one of the groomsmen would ride back and soon return with a bottle of wine and two glasses on a waiter. The bride and groom would each drink a glass of wine after which the waiter, bottle and glasses would be cast down in the road and then the party would proceed. But before reaching home they would almost invariably encounter a strongly bar¬ ricaded fence or other obstruction erected across the road by such of the neighbors as had not been invited- tft partake of the festivities. The latter custom came from the original settlers. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 151 CHAPTER XI r E contract for constructing a turnpike road from Hagerstown to the Conococheague Creek was let to McKinley, Kinkead & Ramsey, of Cumberland, and the stone bridge to Silas Harry, in December, 1817, the work to be completed in two years. The cost of the bridge was between $11,000 and $12,000. The National Road extended from Cumberland to the West. The Bank road from the Conococlieague to Cumberbland had been laid out by Commissioners, and would be completed in 1822 and this road would give a continuous ma¬ cadam road from Hagerstown to the Ohio river. From the east the turnpike had not yet reached Boonshoro, and the portion between that town and Hagerstown was not completed for several years and was a serious obstacle to travel between Bal¬ timore and Washington and the West. The mat¬ ter of roads was a much more serious and impor¬ tant question than at present. Now wagon roads are merely local affairs; then, they were national. Intercommunication between the distant parts of a broad land was only maintained, away from the coast or navigable rivers, by means of wagons and stage coaches. The peculiar character of the soil of the country between Hagertsown and Bal¬ timore and Washington made good roads of any other kind than those of stone almost impossible. Before the turnpikes were made, the County was frequently cut off from all communication with the outside world. Mails were delayed, and freight had to be stored in warehouses until the state of the roads admitted of travel. This was particu¬ larly exasperating because the major part of the transportation was done in farm wagons and was most liable to interruption at the very time when farmers were at leisure to do the work. It is not surprising therefore that this question occupied much of the thoughts of the people of Washington County at an early time; and many meetings were held and projects and schemes suggested. As early as December 1, 1796, a meeting was held at Hag¬ erstown in the Court House, to devise means for procuring a turnpike road to be made from Bal¬ timore Town through Hagertsown to Williamsport, one-eighth of the expense to be borne by Wash¬ ington County. Gen. Thomas Sprigg presided. Resolutions were passed setting forth the advan¬ tages of the road to the farming interests of West¬ ern Maryland, in giving access to market, and at the time of the year when farmers were unable . to work on their farms and could then move their crops. General Heister was the choice of the meeting for Washington County’s member of the Commission to lay out the road. Eli Williams, William Clagett, Samuel Ringgold, Daniel Hughes, Nathaniel Rochester and Adam Ott were the committee.to procure the passage of a charter and a committee was also appointed ,to get names to a petition to the General Assembly for such a charter. It was to be left to the Legislature to decide whether the road should fork at Boonsbor- ough, with one branch to Hagerstown and one to Williamsport or whether it should be made through Hagerstown to Williamsport. The char¬ ter was granted in March 1797 for the road to pass from Baltimore through Frederick and Hagers¬ town to Williamsport. In September, 1797, Na¬ thaniel Rochester presided over another turnpike meeting in Hagerstown to express the opinion 152 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of the people on a proposed turnpike from Balti-. more to Washington ( o;;nt v. A bill had been passed by the General Assembly looking toward such a road and the people of Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Washington and Allegany counties had entered into the project. The Ilag- ertsown meeting was of the opinion that "such an establishment would produce advantages of tne first magnitude in our Agricultural and Commer¬ cial pursuits, that by improving the opportunity and ability of the Counties in their intercourse with Baltimore, will enlarge the scale erf Com¬ merce in that growing City, and create powers in both which will be exercised to their mutual ad¬ vantage; that it is conceived the establishment will be of general utility, and that it cannot injure the interest of a single individual, either in his property of privileges ; that an institution which injures none but benefits all, not only deserves but demands the support of every citizen who wishes for the prosperity of this Country.” Eli Williams, Daniel Heister, Samuel Ring- gold, Charles Carroll and Nathaniel Rochester were appointed a committee to carry out the objects of the meeting. It was twenty-seven years before the object sought by this meeting was at¬ tained and in that time there was a regular turn¬ pike fever. Turnpikes were chartered in every conceivable direction. In 1810, a company obtain¬ ed a charter to build a road from Hagertsown to Westminster and Charles Carroll, Hpton Law¬ rence, William Hryser, William Downey and Rob¬ ert Hughes were among the commissioners to receive subscriptions. Before the completion of the present Baltimore pike, it was a favorite route through Westminster and Einmittsburg. The Baltimore and Frederick Town Turnpike Gmb» pany which had been chartered in 1805, was au¬ thorized by the General Assembly in 1815 to ex¬ tend its road westward from Boonsborough. But the present Hauorstown and Boonsborough Turn¬ pike Company was chartered in 1819. In 1813, the Presidents and Directors of the Banks in Bal¬ timore and of Hagerstown, Conococheaeue and Cumberland Banks were incorporated as the pres¬ idents, managers and company of the Cumberland Turnpike road, and in 1821 the Baltimore Banks, except the City Bank, and the Hagerstown Bank were incorporated its the President, Managers and Company of the Boonsboro Turnpike Company. The Baltimore, liberty and Hagerstown Turnpike Company was chartered in 1815 and Henry Lewis, Martin Kershner, R. Ragan, W. Heyser, John Wit- mer and Daniel Hughes, Jr., were the Commission¬ ers to receive subscriptions. In 1818, a Company wiw chartered to make a road from Boonsborough to Williamsport. It was expected that this would divert the Western travel from the Hagerstown route and send it through Williamsport over a short road to intersect the road to the West. In 1815 a road from Boonsborough through Bhiirpsburg to (Swearingen's Perry on the Poto¬ mac, was chartered. This Company was organized and the first election held September 24 of that year; John Blackford was elected President, Col. John Miller, Treasurer; Jacob Mumma, George Smith, James Labrun, William Lorman, John Brick, George Hedrick, Abram Shepherd and Ja¬ cob Hess, Managers. In 1818, a road from Rock¬ ville to Williamsport was chartered, and in the same year one from Hagerstown to Gettysburg— the Legislature of Pennsylvania having previously chartered the portion within the territory of that State. The important road of about fifty-seven mllfib, to connect the Hagerstown and Conoco- cheague road at the creek, with the National road at Cumberland, was laid out in 1819. and its com¬ pletion in 1822 was assured. The money for this road, like the C'onococheague, the Boonsborough and the Baltimore roads, came principally from the banks and subscriptions to the stocks of these companies, to the aggregate amount of $486,170.71 and were exacted from them afe a condition to the renewal of their charters in 1816. The proportion of the Hagerstown Bank was $16,772,72, and of the C'onococheague Bank at Williamsport $10,568..- 81. In December. 1820, there was a movement upon the Legislature to have the State buy and complete the road from Baltimore to Cumberland and make it free of tolls, as was the road beyond the latter city. The road from Boonsborough to Hagerstown had been laid down by Commissioners who reported early in 1822. They had surveyed several routes and the owners of the land on each route, in compietition with others, gave the right of way through their property free of charge and in September 1822, William Lorman, the first Presi¬ dent of the Company, advertised for contractors to make the road. In March 1823, the contractors on the road were working with a large force of Irish laborers near Funkstown. On St. Patrick’s 4ay of that year occurred the Battle of Funkstown, which attracted much attention throughout the Country. Nile’s Register declared that it excited OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 155 as much interest as a war between France and Spain. The casus belli was a Paddy, produced among the turnpike hands to ridicule them on the festival of their national saint. The Torch Light, whose editor Mr. William D. Bell,-was com¬ mander of the American Blues, which went to the support of Funkstown, gives this account of the affair: “Early in the morning a good deal of ex¬ citement was produced among the turnpike hands, by the appearance of an inanimate personage, gen¬ erally denominated a Paddy. By whom this per¬ sonage was brought into view, is uncertain. The citizens of Funkstown lay his appearance to the turnpikers; whilst they, in turn, attribute it to the citizens of the town. Be this as it may a consid¬ erable number of the sons of Hibernia collected in a body, and proceeded some distance down the main street of the town, when they came in contact with some of the citizens; a quarrel ensued, in which one or two individuals on each side were severally cut and bruised, and others slightly wounded Appearances at this time were rather alarming—a general engagement between the cit¬ izens and the workmen was anticipated. This however, was fortunately prevented. “After the lapse of some time, the Turnpikers marshalled their force, to the amount, as reported, of about 150 men, in one of the cross streets at the upper end of the town; and the Funkstown Rifle corps was paraded in the main street. Thus pre¬ pared, the belligerent parties remained in view of each other until the rifle corps was reinforced by a part of the troop, American Blues and a strong company of militia, from Hagerstown. A short time was then spent in parleying, which resulted in the dispersion, in a great measure, of the shillela-men. The combined forces of Funks¬ town and Hagers-town then marched up and took possession of the high ground, and succeeded in securing several of the ring-leaders of the mob, some of whom were only taken after a diligent in¬ vestment and search of their headquarters. One of these was brought over to this place and com¬ mitted to jail, and the rest recognized to appear before our county Court now in session. Part of the Hagers-town forces remained during the night in Funks-town, as a guard, and returned the fol¬ lowing morning through a drenching raip in mud almost up to the knees. The result of the cam¬ paign may be summed up as follows: None killed, one wounded by the kick of a horse, some a little and some a good deal frightened, a few made pris¬ oners—and the insurrection quashed! Our town has not, since the last war, worn a more military appearance than it did on this occasion—for a few hours everything was bustle and confusion. But happily the “dreadful note of preparation” soon gave place to peace and tranquility.” In Funkstown it was not regarded as any matter for a joke; and when the alarm, which was genuine, subsided, a public meeting was held, over which Michael Iseminger presided, and res¬ olutions were passed, thanking the troops for sup¬ pressing the riot. The completion of this road gave a splendid macadam turnpike, two hundred and sixty-eight miles in length, from Baltimore to Wheeling. Of this, one hundred and thirty miles, from Cum¬ berland west, the road was free. There was a movement in 1827 to plant an avenue of trees along the pike from Hagerstown to Funkstown, in which Dr. Boerstler and William D. Bell took a prominent part. There was a pub¬ lic meeting in the Town Hall in October of that year to promote the scheme. A sum of money was raised and Lombardy poplars were planted, not only between Hagerstown and Funkstown, but out the Western pike as far as the Buck Tavern. They grew to be a beautiful avenue but all died off at the time of the singular simultaneous decay of all of these beautiful trees throughout the country. In 1828 the Gettysburg and Hagerstown turnpike received twenty thousand dollars from the State of Pennsylvania and in the same year our Legis¬ lature passed an act, supplementary to an act which had already been passed, chartering the com¬ pany and one to extend the time for completing the road from Boonsborough to Swearingen’s Ferry to 1833. When the Washington County Bank of Williamsnort was chartered in 1832, a subscrip¬ tion of $10,000 fo making a turnpike from Williamsport to Hagerstown or to Boonsborough, or from Cavetown to Westminster, was exacted. The Bank elected to make its subscription to a road to Hagerstown and on June 3, 1833, subscrip¬ tion books were opened. One dollar a share had to be paid at the time of subscribing, and it was a condition of the charter that six hundred shares at twenty dollars each, in addition to the subscrip¬ tion by the Bank, should be taken before oper¬ ations under the charter could begin. On the sec¬ ond of September 1833 the first meeting of stock¬ holders was held and the company was organized. 156 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD The first election resulted in the selection of John Davis for president ; Horatio McPherson treas¬ urer; Eli Beatty, William D. Bell, George Brum¬ baugh, John R. Doll and Matthew S. Yan Lear, managers. It was announced that the stock had been taken to the amount of $22,000 of which the Bank had $10,000, citizens of Hagerstown $6,- 500, and citizens of Williamsport and vicinity $1,000. Washington County subscribed $1,500 upon which to the year 1888, it had received $3,012 in dividends. About 1895, a majority of the stock was purchased, by the Hagerstown Elec¬ tric Railway Company, and a railroad track was laid along the pike. It had for years been the expectation of the people, of Hagerstown that it would be an important point on the line of through travel between the east and west, not only from Baltimore and Washington but also from Phila¬ delphia. It was supposed that passengers from the latter city would reach Hagerstown through York and Gettysburg and thence proceed by a com¬ mon route to the West. When it was regarded as settled that the Baltimore and Ohio railroad would pass through the town or Wiiliamsoort and a rail¬ road was projected from Pennsylvania through Greencastle to Williamsport, there to intersect the Baltimore and Ohio road and the Canal, it was believed that the expectations were in a fair way to he realized. The completion of the con¬ tinuous turnpike road from Baltimore to the West partially fulfilled these sanguine expectations, and was the beginning of a time of great prosperity and activity in the town. Before this time the road to Baltimore was through Funkstown, over the mountain below Wolfsville and to the north of Eredericktown. This road was very rough, at the best of times, hut frequently in winter it was im¬ passable. The traffic was in farm wagons, and included a great quantity of produce brought down the river to Williamsport in _ flat boats and rafts. The major portion of this, which was not used in Hagerstown, was carried on down the river to Georgetown, hut some went *to Baltimore in the wagons. The farmers were enabled to do this hauling as cheaply as they did by the saving of tav¬ ern bills. The wagoners not only took with i Lem enough food for themselves and their teams to last until their return, hut also carried their bedding with them. This they spread upon the floor of the bar-room and the only profit the landlord of the tavern could get from such economical guests was in the whiskey and hot coffee they bought. With whiskey selling at a “ftp” or a “levy” a pint, the profit from that source could not have been very great,unless the amount consumed was enormous. This was probably the case, for the amount of whis¬ key drinking in those days, when adulteration was unknown, was indeed incredible. On the pike, it took a wagon about seven days to make the round trip from Hagerstown to Baltimore and return. A team consisted of four, five or six horses, and a load for a good team was twenty-four barrels of flour* Over the old “dirt road” the charge for freight was ordinarily $1.25 per barrel when the road was bad, but on the pike this rate was greatly reduced, and was of course no longer regulated by the condition of the road but by competition; 80, 50 cents, and sometimes even lower rates prevailed. In the spring and autumn, merchants would hire teams to go for their stocks of goods, and the teams would take loads down for such prices as they could get, frequently receiving no more than would pay toll. Besides flour, down freights consisted of corn, clover seed, rye, whiskey, dried fruit, etc. No wheat was shipped. The whole crop of Washing¬ ton County was manufactured into flour at home, besides a large quantity which was brought from Franklin County. Hagerstown was always a good wheat market, and the large mills of Jonathan Hager, George Shafer, Samuel. David and Heze- kiah Clagett, and others drew wheat from places as far as Chambersburg. In winter, the public square was generally filled with wagons or sleds bringing produce of various kinds to barter with the merchants, who shipped it to Baltimore as occasion offered. The amount of flour shipped was very great and when the railroad was com¬ pleted to Frederick, that citv was the terminus of wagon transportation. The freight offered there for shipment frequently greatly exceeded the lim¬ ited capacity of the railroad. There were no ware¬ houses for storage, and frequently as many as a thousand barrels of flour were seen piled up, ex¬ posed to the weather, awaiting shipment by rail. When the Canal was opened to Williamsport, a great deal of flour was sent to Georgetown by boat. Warehouses were built and flour was hauled and stored during the winter awaiting the opening of navigation in the spring. Along with the completion of the pike came “line teams” through from the West. These were great wagons with the hind wheels ten feet high, drawn by six horses, and making almost as fast OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAKYLAND. 157 time as the stages or a modern freight train. They were loaded with bacon or other Western produce which they were carrying to market to sell. On the return trip, they were loaded with dry goods and groceries for some Western store to be reached perhaps, by boat from Wheeling. The very heavy merchandise for these stores for which there was no hurry, was sent by vessel down the coast, through the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi river. Often the “line wagons” would sell their cargo of Western products in Hagerstown and then load up with flour for the rest of the distance. In Hagerstown the two popular taverns for wag¬ oners, or wagon stands as they were then called, were Rising Sun Tavern on South Potomac street, opposite the Lutheran Church, and Frederick Stover’s Tavern which was later the Mansion Plouse, on the corner of Washington and Walnut streets. The principal stopping places for the stages were the Western Tavern, a portion of the same building afterwards known as the Antietam House, which was pulled down to give place to the Hotel Hamilton, and the Globe, which was situ¬ ated where the Baldwin now stands. Up to these famous taverns the stages dashed, horses were changed there, and passengers stopped a few min¬ utes for meals. The scene was a lively and bust¬ ling one and the approach of a stage was announc¬ ed by a horn. Mounted mail carriers entered the town on a long run; their horns announced their arrival, and the postmaster would be ready to change the mail while the rider sprang from one horse to another. The passengers’ baggage was carried on the cf boot” of the stages and was some¬ times stolen as the stage proceeded through lonely places on dark nights. In the winter of 1832, two trunks were cut from the boot of the Western stage between Clearspring and Licking Creek. One of them belonged to an Arkansas gentleman, contain¬ ed $1,100. The thieves were soon arrested at Winchester; $554 of the money and goods worth $250 which the robber had sold, were recovered. Some of the most distinguished public men of that day passed through Hagerstown on their way to and from the Capital. Early in 1841, Gen. W. H. Harrison, en route for the White House, passed through. He caused much sensation among his enthusiastic admirers. He spoke from a store- box for a short time, to a large audience. One of his Washington County relatives tried to protect him from the heated rays of the sun by an um¬ brella, hut he smilingly pushed it aside and com¬ pleted his remarks unprotected and hatless. One morning in front of the old hotel on the corner of Washington and Jonathan streets, oppo¬ site the Court House, on the arrival of the stage from the West, a large crowd had collected. It was found that “Black Hawk,” a Sioux and Fox Chief, was en route for Washington, D. C., to see the President. He was in charge of an Indian Agent, and accompanied by several Indians. He had on an old black hat—stiff and high crowned, a white shirt or collar blouse and blue pants. He could not be drawn into conversation and seemed sullen and stolid. The days of the old National Pike were the romantic times of the County. The sight of the distinguished men of the country was common to our people. To them the faces of old Andrew Jackson, of Henry Clay, of William Henry Harri¬ son, of Davy Crockett, James K. Polk and Zackary Taylor were familiar. No other road did as large a business as this. Coaches dashed through at the rate of twelve miles an hour, and wagons fol¬ lowed each other so closely that it was said with some pardonable exaggeration that the heads of one team were in the rear of the wagon before it. There were many private carriages, many travel¬ ers' on horseback, and an endless procession of cat¬ tle and sheep from the rich pastures of what was then called the West. Along the road every few miles, was a tavern and the reputation of the meals served in them, the venison, the bear-steaks, the hot bread, the ham and eggs, the whiskey have lost nothing from the lapse of time. The stand¬ ard price of meals along the road was twenty- five cents and five cents a glass for whiskey. Bar¬ ton’s Tavern in Hancock was a favorite stopping place for General Jackson and there as well as at Hagerstown and Boonsboro, would addresses l->o presented to him. His affability and that of Clay knew no bounds—all were cordially greeted who presented themselves. Rival lines of coaches pat¬ ronized different taverns and travellers were strong partisans of favorite lines. At Wheeling, when there were many passengers landing from the steamer, there was a struggle among them for desirable places in the coaches, and when the pas¬ sengers were few the contest was among the coaches which frequently underbid each other un¬ til the price to Baltimore was marvelously low. One of the best known and most popular lines was that of John E. Reeside. The first coach used on the pike was a clumsy affair, carrying sixteen pas- 158 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL EECOED sengers, built in Cumberland by Abraham Russell. Then the Trenton coach was adopted, and this was succeeded by the Pry Coach, carrying nine pas¬ sengers inside and two outside. The last and best was the Concord coach. Many stories are told of the old coaching days. It was a favorite amuse¬ ment among passengers to hold out letters to coun¬ try people, and induce them to run after the stage to get them, but a damper was put upon this sport by a well-known citizen of Washington County, old Daniel Oster, upon whom this trick was played. He pursued the coach until he overtook it and dragged the joker out and gave him an unmerciful thrashing. Prom the summit of South Mountain to Clear- spring, about twenty-five miles, the road passes through one of the most fertile and beautiful ag¬ ricultural portions of the United States. Shortly after passing Clearspring the ascent of North Mountain, the eastern wall of the Allegani.es is begun and from its summit, at Pairview, a pros¬ pect of magnificent grandeur presents itself. Away towards the east, to the foot of South Moun¬ tain, is the panorama of farms, of villages and towns, of hills and valleys of surpassing beauty whilst to the right is the tortuous Potomac shim¬ mering like molten silver in the sunlight and on either hand mountain top after mountain top un¬ fold themselves. Prom Clearspring on through Hancock to Sideling Hill, the western boundary of the County, the scenery is of romantic beauty —a succession of wooded ridges and sylvan dells with a wealth and variety of vegetation most en¬ chanting. It was at Hancock that the traveler from the West got his first view of the Canal— then a national work of importance, which John Quincy Adams had pronounced to be more wonderful and stupendous than any of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But the name of the pike and the canal alike is Ichabod. Their glory has denar tod. The same freshet which wrecked the Canal in 1889, destroy¬ ed the bridges on the pike between the Conoco- cheague and Sideling Hill. The traffic was not sufficient to justify the company in restoring them, and so it surrendered its charter and resigned the road to the authorities of Washington County, and it became an ordinary County road, and its epitaph has been written. Besides the turnpike roans al¬ ready mentioned, seven others have been made in the County, to all of which the County Commis¬ sioners subscribed liberally. In the Beaver Creek and South Mountain road the County subscribed for a hundred and two shares at $20. In the Williamsport and Greencastle road, a hundred and fifty shares at $20 a share. In the Hagerstown and Leitersburg road, one hundred shares at $25 a share. Up to and including 1888 the County had received in dividends upon this $2,500 of stock $1,175. In the Hagerstown and Smithsburg road the County subscribed for a hundred and fifty shares at $20. In the Hagerstown and Sharpsburg road, chatered in 1856, the County took a hundred and eighty shares, and up to 1888 had received $6,041 in dividends. In the Hagerstown and Mid- dleburg road, the County’s stock is 75 shares at $20, and in the Hagerstown and Cearfoss road .sixty shares at $25. Upon all these, dividends are received each year and in addition the County is released from the expense of maintaining the pub¬ lic roads. Whilst the ordinary public roads of Washington County are bad and discreditable, the system of turnpikes is the pride of the County. These turnpikes radiate from Hagerstown like the spokes from the hub of a wheel and afford ac¬ cess to every important point in the County. They are smooth and well kept, and are a great attrac¬ tion to bicyclists and automobilists who visit the County in great numbers each summer. It was in 1818 that an effort was made in Hagerstown to provide a better fire apparatus than the old engines which had been used here¬ tofore. In February of that year, the Legislature granted authority to the Town Commissioners to levy a tax. and raise $1,200 to buy a fire engine.' The same Act of Assembly conferred a like privi¬ lege upon the town of Williamsport. The Wil¬ liamsport Company was incorporated by the Leg¬ islature in 1827, and the same Legislature granted a charter to a company in Funkstown. In 1803 a lottery had been authorized to purchase a fire en¬ gine for Sharpsburg. The fire Company of Wil¬ liamsport was in active and successful operation for years, and in 1834 was sufficiently vigorous to respond to a call when the east wing of General Ringgold’s mansion at Fountain Rock now the College of St. James, took fire. The Williamsport department arrived there in time, although the dis¬ tance was four miles, to confine the fire to that one wing and save the fine house. The next pub¬ lic meeting about a fire company in Hagerstown, after the one in 1791 mentioned in a former chap¬ ter, was at the Court House in 1802. In Febru¬ ary, 1803, the firemen divided the town into two OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 159 districts; Main or Washington street was the divi¬ ding line between the two. The fire companies were directed by general officers, selected by them¬ selves, the chief being a director-general, and he had an assistant. There was also an officer or di¬ rector, with a corps of assistants, to take charge of goods rescued from burning buildings; there was a hook and axe "director, a ladder director and a number of directors and assistants for each of the two fire engines—Nos. 1 and 2. Regular meet¬ ings for exercise were held and attendance was strictly required under penalty of a fine of twenty- five cents for those whose duty it was to work the engines, and one dollar for directors. The United Fire Company, as this was named, lasted from 1791 to 1815, when it was allowed to go down, and the engines probably became useless. In 1817, when the Hagerstown Fire Company was organ¬ ized, Peter Humricliouse, David Harry, Arthur Johnson and J. A. Donaldson were constituted a commimttee to examine them and report their condition. Of this new fire company, Otho II. Williams was president, and William Heyser direc¬ tor-general, Richard Ragan, assistant, John Ken¬ nedy, treasurer, John A. Donaldson, keeper, and Samuel Hager, collector. Henry Kealhofer was director of engine No. 1, and George Shryock of No. 2. In 1820 Robert Douglas was president and Thomas Greaves, secretary. When there was an alarm of fire at night the firemen were greatly embarrassed in getting through the rough and dark streets. In 1817, George Shryock, the moderator, published an advertisement requesting all citi¬ zens, directly they heard a cry of fire at night to place lighted candles in their front windows. Just before the fourth of July of the next year, Moder¬ ator Seth Lane issued his proclamation warning people against fire crackers within the town. In 1821, the old engines had been repaired and a new one purchased and in November of that year, the town was divided into three fire districts. The citizens of each district were admonished to repair, in case of fire, to their engine house to carry the engines to the fire. South Potomac and Antietam streets were the first district; Franklin, Church and North Potomac, north of Franklin, the second; Washington and North Potomac south of Frank¬ lin the third. This fire company, however, does not appear to have been very efficient, for when the Torch Light office and Capt. Lewis’ house on the Public Square, took fire in 1822 effective work was done by a line of buckets, in which the women were very helpful. Just after this fire, in conse-’ quence of the evident need of such an organization, the first call was made for a meeting to organize another company. This meeting was held April 17, 1822, and on that day the First Hagerstown Hose Company was formed—an organization which is still regarded with pride by the town, and which has for its home the “Hose Building” on South Potomac street, erected in 1882, one of the finest buildings of the town. Its first president was George F. Kreps; Charles C. Fechtig was vice- president; PI. J. Rahauser, secretary; and William C, Drury treasurer. It was the first company which was regularly incorporated by an Act of Assembly. In May, 1824, an ordinance was passed dividing the town into two districts, Washington street being the dividing line. All white male taxpayers except members of the Hose Company, were required to assemble in the Town Hall and form themselves into fire companies. The two companies formed in pursuance of this ordinance were called “'Che Washington Mechanic Fire Com¬ pany” and “The Franklin Union Fire Company.” It was the custom about this time to furnish re¬ freshments to the firemen at fires, and upon nearly every such occasion there is a publication of thanks by the firemen for the courtesy. In 1827, a prac¬ tice prevailed of using the ladders, hooks, axes and buckets belonging to the fire companies for private purposes. This was finally prohibited by an ordi¬ nance which imposed a fine of one dollar for each day one of these articles was retainfed for private use. The Antietam Fire Company was incorporated March 9, 1835. The incorporators were William D. Bell, William Holliday, Daniel Carver, R. Annan, William Johnson, John W. Kennedy, Jacob Swope, Jacob Bachelder, William Weber, Alex. Armstrong, Peter Swartzwelder, Victor Thompson and William S. Brown. This company had its home in a small building on the southwest corner of the Court House lot fronting on Jonathan street, until it was torn down by the County Com¬ missioners in 1889. The Company then bought a lot on the same street and erected a fine building. The Junior Fire Company on Monday in Whitsun week 1852, laid the corner stone of Junior Hall on North Potomac street with Ma¬ sonic ceremonies. The building was condemned as unsafe in 1889, and -was removed to make way for a new and finer structure. The Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company was organized in 1872 with 160 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD "William H. Armstrong as first president, and the Western Enterprise shortly afterward. This lat¬ ter company brought the first steam fire engine to the town in l8f2k About 1876 their hall on West Franklin Sv. was built. The water used at fires was taken from large public cisterns in-various parts of the town. After the water works were completed tiie pressure in the fire plugs was sufficient to cast a much stronger stream than the engines, so- the three engines were kept only for use in the sub¬ urbs, or in places where the water service does not reach, or in cases of emergency. The fire already alluded to, which partially destroyed the Torch-Light office on the Square and scattered the type broadcast, originated in Shank’s shop from which it spread to the bric> building which con¬ tained the Torch-Light office and from these to Colonel Lewis’ stone house on the north-east corner of the Square. None of the buildings were completely destrot'ed but all were damaged and the editor of the Torch Light, for two weeks, was only enabled to issue his paper by the courtesy of the editor of the Herald and Mr. Gruber the pro¬ prietor of the Almanack. But in 1817, and for some years following, whilst the people of the town were agitated about fire companies, the people of the County at large were concerned about a much more important af¬ fair. About this time a machine for threshing wheat which should supersede the flail and the treading by horses, was coming into notice; iron plows were talked about; and not long afterwards, cradles began gradually to take the place of the sickle. On their farm near Hagerstown, Samuel, David and Hezekiah Clagett had a field of a hun¬ dred acres, and when the wheat in this field was harvested, as many as a hundred harvesters with their sickles could be seen at a time. When farm¬ ers began to put out a hundred acres of wheat, it became manifest that treading out the wheat with horses or beating it out with flails and reaping it with sickles was too slow an operation. It is difficult to tell just where the first attempt at a thrilling-machine was made in this County. In Great Britain. Andrew Merkles threshing machine, upon which the present admirable machines are based, had been in use sirice 1787; but it is not like¬ ly that one of them was ever brought to this Coun¬ ty, In 1817 Thomas Beatty manufactured a ma¬ chine “on a new and improved plan” for George Ueynolds of Shepherdstown. It could thresh with one horse and three hands, ten bushels of wheat in an hour or a hundred bushels a day. It was claimed that it' cleaned wheat well and would answer for a rubber in a merchant mill. The exclusive right to manufacture and sell machines after Reynolds’ patent, in Washington Count}', was owned by John Harry. In 1821 D. Nicholson and John James manufactured a thresher in Hagers¬ town which they sold for $100, and which they boasted could thresh and clean thirty-five bushels in an hour. A year later, William Kirk’s machine, newly invented by him upon an improved plan, only claimed to thresh ten or twelve bushels in an hour. This machine was first put in operation at the mill of the Clagetts in January, 1822, and one was tried after the next harvest on Wil¬ liam H. Eitzhugh’s farm. There it threshed, a hundred bushels in a day, with two horses and three men. These machines were manufactured in Hagerstown by Isaac Parker and John Cur- rey. From that day to this there has been a constant improvement in threshing machines. The substitution of steam for horse power, began about 1872. In 1821 wheat fans were manufactured in Hagerstown by a man named Watkins and one of his machines took the first premium at the State Fair that year. Many of the plows used by the farmers of the County at this time were manu¬ factured in Hagerstown by Matthew Murray, and were after Peacock’s patent. William Schnebly made Reaping Machines at Hagerstown between the years 1825 and 1837. At first a revolving apron was used, but this was discontinued, and after the grain had been thrown on the platform by the reel, it was raked off in piles with a three¬ pronged fork. In 1837, Obed Hussey, one of the inventors of a successful reaper, lived in Hagers¬ town and sold his machines. He had a reaper designed for smooth land, and another for uneven ground. One reaper he kept for hire and cut wheat by the acre for farmers who did not own a machine. He had abundant testimonials of the good work done by his invention. An Act of A assembly passed in 1818 Com¬ missioned Samuel Ringgold. William Gabby, 0. II. Williams. Henry Lewis and William Heyser to sell the old jail, and to build a new one. The purchase of a lot was to be approved by me Court, and the cost of the new building was not to exceed $12,000. Tire County was empowered to levy this sum in four years or to borrow it at 6 per cent, interest. The building was erected on the lot now occupied by the County jail. The OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 161 contractor was a man named Lloyd who completed the work about the year 1826. The contractor did not live in the County, and his employment cre¬ ated great dissatisfaction among the mechanics of the town, who complained bitterly that the work was not given to them, and charged that he was enabled to underbid them by not strictly filling the contract. It was destroyed by fire in 1857, and was rebuilt by John B. Thirston. In 1888, it was remodeled and steel cages placed in a second story which was erected over the old arched cells. The jail had grown to be a public shame, and males and females were thrown into it together there .. being no separate apartments provided. Among the last prisoners who were confined in the old jail on East Franklin Street, afterwards owned by Richard Sheckles, which was sold by the commission of 1818, were the Cotterills. They were tried in the old Court House in the Square. This was a case removed from Allegany County, and was one of the nlost celebrated which ever took place in the County. The Cotterills,, an old man named William and his two sons, John and William, had been indicted for the murder of James Adams on the 9th of May 1819. It appeared in evidence, during their trials, that William Cotterill, sen., and his two sons, William and John, in company with James Adams, who had a considerable sum of money and a check on a mercantile house in Baltimore for a further amount, in his possession, sailed, in the ship Ceres, from Liverpool for Baltimore, about the 1st of February. Arriving in Baltimore in the latter part of April, they all took lodgings in one house, and remained there a few days, when not able to procure employment in the city, they proceeded West in quest of it. They met with none until they reached the house of Wood & West in Allegany County. On Thursday the 6th of May, they contracted with those gentlemen for employment as laborers on the turnpike road, at which they continued until Saturday evening fol- ing. On Sunday morning the 9th, Adams, be¬ lieving that he had lost the check which he brought from England with him,, determined to return to Baltimore in search of it, and in the event of his not there finding it, to guard against its payment, and sail for England. The three, Adams and the two younger Cotterills, then started down the road together, leaving the older Cotterill at the house of Wood & West. Between two and three hours after their departure with Adams, the two Cot¬ terills returned, not along the road but through the woods, having their pantaloons wet up to their knees. On their appproach to the house, they were met by their father, who manifested much uneas¬ iness and appeared considerably agitated during their absence; a short conversation ensuod, in which one of the sons was heard to say, “Father, we have done it;” they then applied for their wages, saying they intended returning to England, and in about three quarters of an hour after the return of the two sons, the three set off, not along the road but through the woods, in the direction in which the two had returned. On Sunday the 16th of May, the dead body of Adams was acci¬ dently found, a short distance below the road, in Fifteen Mile Creek, in a dreary, recluse spot be¬ tween two mountains. It was much mangled about the head and breast, the clothes nearly torn off, and the pockets rifled. Suspicion immediately fixed on the three Cotterills—they were promptly pursued to Baltimore, where they were apprehend¬ ed on the eve of embarking for England, their trunk being on board the ship Franklin, just about to sail. On examining the trunk, a part of Adams’ clothes, his watch, and some other articles known to have belonged to him, were found in it; and a part of the money believed to have belonged to him was found secreted about the persons of the prisoners. Under these circumstances they were commit¬ ted to the Baltimore jail, where they remained until the session of the Allegany Court, to which county they were removed for trial. Unwilling however to be tried there, they requested a further removal to this county, where they were severally found guilty of murder of the first degree. The prosecution was conducted by Roger Per¬ ry, and the two young prisoners were defended by Beal Howard. Samuel Hughes was associ¬ ated with Mr. Howard, in behalf of the elder pris¬ oner. On the 22nd of November Judge John Buch¬ anan pronounced sentence of death upon the three convicts. The gallows was erected in a hol¬ low about fifty yards above the hill on West Church street and on the 23rd of February, 1820, the execution took place, Mr. Post being the sher¬ iff. The following is the account given by a Ha¬ gerstown paper at the time: “During the day and night preceding, a great concourse of people arrived in town; and on Fri¬ day morning the roads, in every direction, were 162 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD literally crowded with persons coming to witness the execution. By 8 o’clock, so great was the crowd in the streets adjoining the jail, that they were rendered almost impassable; and even at this early hour, though the morning was wet and dis¬ agreeable, the place of execution was surrounded by thousands who had taken their stations to wit¬ ness the awful scene. At half-past 10, the unfor¬ tunate criminals were placed in the wagon, at the jail door. Thence preceded by their coffins, ac¬ companied by the clergy, and guarded by Cap¬ tains Barr’s and Swearingen’s troops of horse and Capts. Drury’s and Beil’s foot companies they proceeded along singing solemn music to the place of execution. The Rev. Messrs. Allen and lvurtz first ascended the platform; the former delivered an address, and the latter offered prayer. The three criminals then ascended, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Clay. Several Hvmrts were sun? during the ceremony, in all of which they appeared to join with earnestness. The clergy having per¬ formed their duties, John, the youngest son, rose and addressed the multitude: He acknowledged the guilt of his brother and himself—that they had occasioned the death of Adams, and conse¬ quently that they merited death; but declared that his father was innocent. He admonished the spectators to take warning by the example about to be made, and refrain from sinful practices as such practices had brought him to the awful situ¬ ation in which lie then stood; he also exhorted them to endeavor to become religious, as the only means of ensuring happiness in this world and the world to come. William, the eldest son, concur¬ red in the declaration of his father’s innocence; and the old man persisted to the last in declar¬ ing that he was innocent, but affirmed that he was prepared to die. When the ropes were fasten¬ ed and their caps drawn, they all stood up with firmness and continued to pray audibly and wdth apparent fervency, until the platform sunk, and at once put an end to their supplications and their lives. The last words that John was heard to pronounce distinctly, were “0 Lord be merciful to me a sinner! — 0 Lord come quickly! — 0 Lord come down this rninutet—&$■ -•” Here the door fell and cut short the sentence began, but left the exclamation awfully complete.” It was estimated that the execution was wit¬ nessed by twenty thousand spectators. Just before this famous trial of the Cotterills, was the trial of George Lizer for the murder of his father, William Lizer, in August 1818. The two had gotten into a dispute over some trivial affair, and in the course of the desperate alterca¬ tion which ensued, the young man struck his fath¬ er a blow on the back of his head which caused instant death. The parricide fled and eluded for a month the officers of the law. But in Septem¬ ber he voluntarily surrendered himself. He had a whole month been wandering m the moun¬ tains without shelter, without venturing near any human habitation and with no other food than the berries or other fruit of the mountains. His con¬ dition was deplorable in the last degree. He was tried in the old Court House, convicted of murder in the second degree and sentenced to the Peniten¬ tiary for eighteen years. For a year and a half of this time he was to be in solitary confinement. He escaped, however, from prison before any gTeat part of his term was out.. Among the incidents which occcurred in the County about this time was the death of Major Martin Kershner who died at his residence near Hagerstown in November, 1817, at the age of seventy-four years. He had been a number of times a member of the Legislature and for years a Justice of the Peace—a highly honorable office then. In May 1818 great damage was done in the County by a terrific hail-storm. Hail-stones fell in torrents, crashing through glass and in some instances perforating the roofs of houses. In August of this year, a live elepehant was exhibited in Hagerstown. The charge of admission was twenty-five cents, and people were warned that they would never again have an opportunity to see this wonderful animal. In 1819, the Legislature passed an act for introducing water into Williams¬ port. In March 6th, 1819, Col. John Carr, of Hagerstown, an officer in the Revolutionary Army, died. In September, 1820, the death in Hagers¬ town of an old woman was announced, who was born in Germany in 1712. Her age was therefore a hundred and nine years. Her eyesight was unimpaired, and she had never been compelled to use spectacles. Two other instances of extreme old age were noticed about the same time. Peter Bazlin, “a man of color,” that is the way negroes were always spoken of in those times,—who had been a servant of Col. John Rea, of Savannah, died in Hagerstown Jan. 12, 1822, at the age of a hundred and ten years. The next month, Febru¬ ary 20, Mrs. Catharine Carla died at the age of OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 163 a hundred and nine years and eight months, hav¬ ing lived to see the fifth generation of her de¬ scendants. In September 1821 Joseph Chapline died at Mt. Pleasant, his country seat near Sharpsburg, aged seventy-live years. He was a soldier in the revolution and had led a large party of volunteers into the service from Washington County. That same month a meeting was held in Hagerstown to stock the Antietam with fish. In April 1822 Jacob Rohrer, then the oldest native born citizen of the county, died. He was born in 1746, when the country was still a wilderness and only ten years after the very first settlement .within its lim¬ its. He could remember the French and Indian war and had doubtless fled with his parents to Fredericktown from the Indians and had heard what few persons now living have ever heard— the terrible war whoop of the painted savage. Notwithstanding an exceeding liberality, giving and doing deeds of charity, he amassed a consid¬ erable fortune. In the following December, Col. Eli Williams died in Georgetown from a disease contracted whilst surveying a route for a proposed Potomac Canal. Eli Williams, a younger brother of Gen. Otho Holland Williams, was. the second son of Joseph and Prudence Williams. He was born in Prince George’s County in 1750. He entered the Revolutionary Army with his more distinguished brother and received a Colonel’s commission. He served in the war with credit, and upon his return to Washington County, he was appointed first clerk of the Circuit Court, which position he held until the year 1800, when he resigned and was succeeded by his son, Otho Holland Williams. Another son was John' S. Williams, who went from Anne Arundel County to Quincy, Illinois. His eldest daughter, Maria Sophia, married Chief Justice John Buchanan; the other daughter, Prudence, married Col. John I. Stull, of Georgetown; and Catherine, the third daughter, married Henry H. Gaither. During these years -great good was accomplish¬ ed in Hagerstown by the “Female Society for In¬ structing Poor Children.” It had been organized in 1815 and in twelve years a hundred and twenty- nine children between the ages of five and twelve years had been received into it. Homes were pro¬ cured for many homeless children who were bound out. Boys were taught reading, writing and arithmetic and girls sewing and knitting in addi tion. In 1817 John Palmer, an Englishman travel¬ ed through Hagerstown on a tour of inspection of the Western country. He was moved to publish his observations of America, he says, because “most of the travels I have seen are full of prejudice and invective against America and the Americans” the reason of which he hints is to make their publica¬ tions palatable to their English readers. At the time of Palmer’s visit the war of 1812 had not been long ended and there was still a bitter feeling between Englishmen and Americans. On June 8th, 1817 Palmer started in a stage from George¬ town bound for Pittsburg. Leaving Frederick the next morning he proceeds. “With great labour to the horses and consid¬ erable toil to ourselves, we reached the summit of the blue-ridge and began to descend when our axle-tree broke at a distance of 8 miles from Hagerstown, our destination for the night. It was getting dark and we had no recourse left but to find our way on foot as well as we could. The driver did not accompany us, staying to put his vehicle in order, but gave us directions how to proceed. Anyone acquainted with the state of roads in America, will readily suppose we got lost, which was the case several times; but the country being pretty well inhabited, after penetrat¬ ing the woods in various directions, we at last succeeded in finding the town, very much fatigued and happy to find a good supper on the table and Mr. Edwards our landlord ready to accommodate. “The stage setting off very early the following morning we expressed a wish to stay till Wednes¬ day to recruit ourselves; to which Mr. Edwards who is stage master, readily assented, saying it would make no difference. “Hagerstown, Maryland, is situated in the fertile vallev "f Coneuocheague, 70 miles from Washington. It is laid out at right angles, the houses three or four hundred in number, are of brick or stone; the public buildings are a Court House, stone Jail, Market House and Bank. The Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Meth¬ odists have each a meeting house. There are sev¬ eral good stores in the town and a number of mills are situate on Antietam creek. Considerable trade is carried on with the Western country. Billiards played with two red balls was a com¬ mon amusement of the young farmers and planters 164 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD who frequented our quarters; several of them also betrayed a partiality for slings and mint juleps, certain cordials, but I saw none drink to excess. “Prices of provisions at Hagerstown, June 1817: Meat, 8 cts. per lb., butter 16 cts.; cheese 13 cts.; whiskey 50 cts. per gallon; flour 50 cts. per stone; milk, 8 cts. per qt.; beer 12 1-2 cts per quart; cyder 6 1-4 cts. per quart. “The size of farms near Hagerstown is 200 acres, often half in wood. The soil is of excellent quality. Price of farms with improvements, near $100 per acre. Farm horses $100, cows from $10 to $30 each. Labour, if a white man, $12 to $14 a month and board, or $1 per day. Taxes of all sorts do not exceed $3 to $1000 of property owned. The amount of produce to the acre and the price per bushel is given as follows: Produce per Acre Price Wheat.25 to 30 bushels $1.40 Oats.20 to 25 bushels 40 Rye.-........... 25 bushels §0 Buckwheat.15 bushels 35 Corn.35 bushels 60 Clover....2 ton 12.00 Mr. Palmer left Hagerstown June 11 at 3 a. m. en route for Pittsburg arriving at Mercersburg for breakfast. In the summer of 1818 the people of the County and especially'the farmers upon whom ail the rest depended, beaan to feel the pinch of hard times and immediately looked around for some object to which their evil plight could be attrib¬ uted. Their eyes fell upon the banks and there was great popular outcry against these institutions. Benjamin Galloway issued a call in the newspapers for a public meeting to “protest against the pre¬ vailing system of banking or swindling.” There was a general response and a large number gath¬ ered and listened to a speech from Mr. Galloway. Wheat had been selling for a good price early in 1818 but crops had failed and the farmers could not make both ends meet. Nor was the distress confined to Washington County. It was general throughout the State and in other States. In Pennsylvania public meetings were held and de¬ mands were made upon Congress to reduce sala¬ ries of officials and upon the people to give up the use of all foreign goods. The General Assembly of Maryland passed a stay law. Samuel A. Chew, the cashier of the Conococheague Bank of Wil¬ liamsport, issued a call for a meeting of the stock¬ holders of the bank. This he did, not because the bank was insolvent, but because of the general bus¬ iness depression. The meeting was accordingly held, Frederick A. Schley presiding. Upon mo¬ tion of Judge John Buchanan- it was determined to close up the affairs of the company. A com¬ mittee composed of Frederick A. Schley, Alex. Neill, Richard Ragan, Frederick Dorsey and James S.Lane was appointed to look into the affairs of the company. After doing so, they reported that the bank was entirely solvent. The stock of the bank was received in payment of indebtedness and the affairs were closed up. Some years later the present Washington County Bank took the place of the Conococheague. In the meantime the ar¬ rests for debt and the applications for the benefit of the laws for inseflvent debtors were unprecedent¬ ed. The stocjt of the Hagerstown Bank was not seriously affected and in 1821 it was selling at par. When the stay law expired by limitation in 1821 debtors found themselves in no better condition to pay their debts than they were two years before and petitions to the Legislature were everywhere circulated and signed to have the time extended. In 1821 the crops were greatly dam¬ aged. The corn was attacked by the cut worm and the wheat by the fly and all the crops were injured by severe hail storms. In the autumn there was a change for the better in the circum¬ stances of the people brought about by an ad¬ vance in October, of the price of flour to six dol¬ lars per barrel and then in two weeks to a further advance to eight and ten dollars. This would have afforded great relief to the farmers if they had had much wheat for sale. But unfortunately this was not the case either here or elsewhere as was attested by an occurrence which stands almost alone in the history of the country. In 1822 the “Ylslean” arrived at New York laden with wheat from England. This immediately suggested a re¬ sort to the English corn laws and the enactment of such an impost was at once advocated by the New York Commercial Advertiser and many other newspapers. About this time or during the fol¬ lowing month wheat was selling in Baltimore at a dollar and forty-eight cents a bushel "and flour at six dollars and a half a barrel. That summer no rain fell within the County, in sufficient quan¬ tities to afford any relief, from May until August. The potato and corn crops were destroyed and the yield was not sufficient to pay for gathering them. Water was very scarce and although the Antxetam scarcely contained a sufficient quantity to turn the OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 165 mill wheels, the people of Middletown and the eastern portion of Frederick County were compell¬ ed to bring their grain to the mills along this stream to get it ground. In 1818 and previously the waters of the Antietam moved the machinery of a Taper Mill, “one mile from Hagerstown on the great road leading from Hagerstown, through Herman’s Gap t® Baltimore.” This year a move¬ ment was started to bridge the Potomac at Shep- herdstown. A notice published in the Torch Light in 1818 by the proprietor of the Globe Tav¬ ern gives a curious insight into a practice which prevailed, not only at that tavern, but in ali oth¬ ers in the town. The proprietor of the Globe in¬ formed the public that he was well aware that certain persons, with whom he was well acquainted, were in the habit of skulking around his house, eve-dropping in order to gain information of convivial parties who were enjoying themselves. These “convivial parties” were gamblers. The hotels were the headquarters of professional gamb¬ lers who plied their trade there. These were men of excellent presence and address, dressed with scrupulous neatness in broadcloth. Their prey was the rich farmer and many a one of them would be compelled to sell his slaves or even his farm to pay the debts contracted during a night at the Globe Tavern. Some of the Taverns of the town and county at this time were the Columbian Inn on Washington street next to the Post Office. It was kept in 1820 by C. C. Fechtig, Jr. A tav¬ ern at Orr’s Gap was a gathering place for thieves and other lawbreakers and it was even suspected that murders had taken place there and been con¬ cealed. The gatherings at this place on Sundays were particularly vicious. The north-west corner of Washington and Jonathan streets was known in 1820 as the Bell Tavern kept by Mrs. Kendal. The Eagle Tavern in the north-west angle of the square was re-established in 1821 by John Mc- Ilhenny. On North Potomac street was the Swan Tavern. Samuel Slicer kept a tavern on the West¬ ern Pike on north side of Sideling Hill. Charles Hesletine kept the Bell Tavern in Williamsport in 1822. Thomas Edwards kept the Columbian Inn at Boonsboro. In Sharpsburg there were four public houses which were kept by John Grove, Wm. Robrback and John M. Knode, besides the one at Belinda Springs. Knode’s Tavern burnt down along with Dr. Joseph C. Hayes’ and other build¬ ings. In Clearspring in 1823 George Lowe kept the Western Hotel and Adam Brewer kept the Clearspring Hotel. The Union Hotel in Leiters- burg was kept by William Kreps. In Indian Spring there was a tavern kept by Daniel Gehr, senior. In the spring of 1820 was the first term of Court held in the new Court House. This build¬ ing was claimed to be at that time “equal in ele¬ gance and taste to any in the country.” A peti¬ tion had been presented to the Legislature repre¬ senting that the old Court House was in a state of ruinous decay, that it was too small, that the public records were not' safe and that the location of the building at the intersection of the two prin¬ cipal streets greatly injured the appearance of the town. Indeed as far back as 1802 there was a great outcry about the insecurity of the County records. In 1816, acting upon this petition, a law was passed appointing a commission to consist of John Blackford, Samuel Ringgold, William Gabby, John Bowdes and Thomas C. Brant to buy a lot and build a Court House with the necessary offi¬ ces. The Levy Court were authorized to levy a sum not to exceed thirty thousand, dollars in five annual installments to pay for the lot and build¬ ing. They were also directed upon the completion of the new building to demolish the old and sell the material to help to pay for the new building. This latter provision was subsequently changed and the old Court and Market House was given to the town to use the matter in erecting the pres¬ ent town hall and market house. The public ground upon which the old Court House stood was condemned as a public street not to. be built upon or used but as a public street of the town. The commissioners bought the lot at the intersection of Washington and Jonathan streets extending down to the alley south of the Mail building. The two lots not covered by the Court House were subse¬ quently sold by the commissioners at $200 each. The architect and contractor of- the new Court House was Thomas Harbine. The design was a square central hall surmounted by a dome and flanked on each side by a wing for the offices of the Clerk of the Court and Register of Wills. The Court Hall in the centre was a handsome room hung •with tapestry but it was a whispering gallery and only in certain positions could a word be heard. A floor was then put in and the court hall removed up stairs but this did not improve mat¬ ters. The floor was then removed and afterwards a floor was made beneath the dome. This improv¬ ed the acoustic somewhat. In 1859 a large back 166 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD building was added and the court hall put into it so that it would be removed from the noise of the street. This building was destroyed by fire De¬ cember 6th, 1871. Whilst the Court House was building there was considerable activity in other buildings and especially of churches. Subscrip¬ tions to the new Episcopal Church on Jonathan street just back of the Court House were taken. Under the active pastorate of the Rev. John Cur¬ tis Clay the Ejhspcopal congregation had grown and prospered. The old building which had stood many years on Mulberry street opposite the Semi¬ nary and in the midst of the graveyard had be¬ come too small and very dilapidated. In July 1820 the subscribers met at the Court House and shortly afterward the building was begun and com¬ pleted. About Christmas 1821 Mr. Clay left the town greatly to the regret of the congregation, “his unremitting care of his parish,” said the Torch Light, “his excellent discourses, amiable and pious deportment, secured the affection of all de¬ nominations.” In July 1821 the building com¬ mittee of the new church, Eli Beatty, George Baer, Otho H. Williams and Franklin Anderson, bought the lot on Jonathan street for six hundred dollars from Christian Fechtig. The church was conse¬ crated June 18, 1825, by Bishop Kemp, the Rev. George Lemmen being the Rector. This church which had once been partially destroyed by fire, was burned along with the Court House in 1871. Although the great mass of the people of the Coun¬ ty were of German blood and belonged to the Lutheran or Reformed Churches, yet the Episcopal Church got an early foothold in the County and was perhaps the first which organized a congrega¬ tion. The whole of the County was originally a portion of All Saints Parish, Frederick County. It is believed that the first Episcopal Church in the County was a log chapel on the lane which leads from the College of St. James to the Sharps- burg pike and from which “Chapel Woods” takes its name. This was built about the year 1760 and in it the Rev. Bartholomew Booth a clergy¬ man of the church of England, and a celebrated teacher officiated. St. John’s Parish, Hagerstown, or Frederick Parish as it was called until 1806, was created in 1770. It included until recently all of Washington County except Pleasant Valley which belongs to St. Mark’s Parish, Frederick County. Separate congregations within this parish were created at various times. In 1819 a congre¬ gation was laid off in Sharpsburg under the name .of St. PauPs and in 1835 St. Thomas’, Hancock, in 1839 St. Andrew’s, Clearspring. The chapel at the College of St. James was consecrated in 1812 and in 1852 a congregation was formed and a church built known as St. Mark’s at Lappans. St. Luke’s Chapel was built in Pleasant Valley within. Sfe Marie’s Parish, and later on the pretty stone St. Ann’s Chapel at Smithsburg. The first church at Hagerstown was occupied about the jnar 1791. The first vestry was composed of John Stull, Daniel Hughes, Alexander CJlagett, Thomas Sprigg, Richard Pindle, Nathaniel Rochester and Eli Williams. The Rev. George Bower was the first rector employed by them. In 1803 the church was still unfinished and an Act of Assembly was procured authorizing a lottery to raise $600 to com¬ plete the building. The Commissioners to conduct the lottery were Nathaniel Rochester, Richard Pindle, Ignatius Taylor, Robert Hughes and Otho Holland Williams. Prizes amounting to $3,000 were offered and the receipt from the sale of the tickets amounted to that exact sum. The profit was made by retaining twenty per cent, of the prizes paid. After the old church was remov¬ ed from the thickly peopled graveyard which sur¬ rounded it and in which many prominent and dis¬ tinguished men lie buried, the graveyard was re¬ tained and used by all the congregation until Rose Hill Cemetery was opened. Recently it has been enclosed in a substantial stone wall erected chiefly through the activity of Mr. Jones of Frederick County, a member of the Dali family, many of whom were buried in the churchyard. The little golden soldier on the cupola of the Market House has been regarded as the tutular saint of Hagerstown. “Little Heiskell,” for that is his name, was at one time more discussed and created a greater contention than any other matter within the town. He has been “buffeted by Boreas” and has pointed out the direction of the wind to the people for more than a century. Af¬ ter Hagerstown became a county seat the first desire of the people,after having a Court House was to have a Market House. The two went along together. The Court House which was sixty feet square, was perched upon pillars in the midst of the Public Square leaving a large open space below. This was the Market space. On one side of the Court House wall was a bell which rang out at sunrise on Wednesdays and Saturdays the market days and upon a rod which surmounted the roof of the building “Little Heiskell” revolved in obe- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 167 dience to the wind just as he does today. After the building of a new Court House had been de¬ termined upon it also became necessary to take steps to procure a new Market House for the old building had to be demolished. An Act having this object, was passed by the General Assembly in December 1818. In the Act Peter Seibert, Jo¬ seph Gabby and Henry Shalt'er were commissioned to buy a lot near the Square and to build a Mar¬ ket House upon it, and the Moderator and Com¬ missioners of the town were empowered to levy for the necessary funds or to borrow them at a rate of interest not to exceed six per cent. The old Court House was ordered to be demolished as soon as the new one should have been completed. The materials of the old building were given to the town to be used in the new building or to be sold and the proceeds applied to the payment of it. This bill was in response to a petition to the Leg¬ islature presented by the Washington County del¬ egation. This was the beginning of the movement for the Market House, but the end was a long way off. The first serious difficulty encountered by the Commissioners was procuring a suitable lot at a reasonable price. The lot was selected without dif¬ ficulty but they could not agree with the owner for a price. So condemnation was resorted to. But the price fixed by the jury was deemed by the town authorities too extravagantly high and far beyond the ability of the town to pay. So the matter rest¬ ed in abeyance for another year when additional legislation was obtained. Under this authority in September 1820, a new Commission, consisting of Frisby Tilghman, William 0. Sprigg and Wil¬ liam H. Fitzhugh was formed. These Commis¬ sioners succeeded in buying the lot on the south¬ east corner of Franklin and Potomac streets, a full lot fronting eighty-two feet on Potomac and running back two hundred and forty on Franklin street. The price paid was one thousand dollars. On December 25, 1821, the Town Commissioners adi r ertised for sale the east end of this lot which was described as one hundred and twenty feet long' and eighty-two wide and that if application was not made before the 29th of that month, it would be otherwise disposed of. The Town furnished the materials to erect the buildings and advertised for proposals to do the work in December 1821, George Brumbaugh being the town clerk. About this time the plan of placing a Town Hall and a Masonic Hall for Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 33, over the Market House was first; suggested and the Leg¬ islature in 1822 granted the necessary power. On St. John’s day, June 24, 1822, the corner stone of the new building was laid amid imposing cere¬ monies, preparations for which had been in active progress for weeks. The arrangements were in the hands of Mt. Moriah Lodge and their commit¬ tee was composed of Samuel Ringgold, Otho Hol¬ land Williams, Henry Lewis, William Price, Wil¬ liam D. Bell, George F. Kreps and Samuel Rohrer. Masons from all the neighboring towns and cities constituting a great number were in attendance. They formed in a procession at the Court House and marched to the site of the building preceded by a choir, singing “Hail Mystic Art!” The Masons were clad in black or blue coats and panta¬ loons, white waist coats, black hats, white gloves and wore their aprons and sashes. Upon arriving at the stone prayer was offered by the Rev. Mr. Shaw, an oration was delivered and then the ceremony of laying the stone was performed. The procession then moved to the German Luth¬ eran Church where services were conducted by the Rev. Benjamin Kurtz, the pastor of the church and a sermon preached by the Rev. John Clark of Greencastle. After leaving the church the pro¬ cession returned to the Court House and was then dismissed. An elaborate dinner had been pre¬ pared at the Wabash Spring, a great picnic resort a short distance from town on the Funkstown road. A great many articles and papers were de¬ posited in the corner stone and are there in safety to this day. “for the inspection, perhaps of future ages.” Among the other papers is a list of the officers and members of Mt. Moriah Lodge, officers of the Grand Lodge of Maryland, the names of the President and Cabinet, the officers of the State and County and of the various local institutions of the town, names of the ministers and church officers, a copy of the Bible, various Masonic doc¬ uments, Constitution of the Female Society for In¬ structing Poor Children, copy of the oration de¬ livered at the laying of the stone, impressions of the first engravings of bank notes, issued by the Hagerstown Bank, notes of the Bank in circula¬ tion, U. S. coins, foreign coins, presented by Mr. Rohrer, newspaper and almanacs, census of Ha¬ gerstown. 2,757 inhabitants, of Washington County 23,065. The market was moved to the new Mar¬ ket House in December 1822 although the build¬ ing was not finally completed until nearly two years later. About the same time a public meet¬ ing was held at the Court House to take subscrip- 168 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD tions to place a town clock in the cupola and it was ascertained that the cost would be about a thousand dollars. But the town authorities later on employed. Arthur Johnson, a skillful clock maker of the town, residing on West Washington street to make the clock. It is an admirable piece of work and bears testimony to the skill of the maker as do the tall corner clocks Still standing in many of the houses of Washington County, The Mayor and Council were empowered by an Act of Assembly passed in 1833 to levy a sum of money not to exceed one thousand dollars to pay for the clock. For several months during the spring-and summer of 1833 the town was in an uproar over “Little Heiskell.” In the contract between the Moderator and Commissioners of the town and the Masons under which the latter eseet- 0 their lodge over the Market House, it was set forth that the work should be done according to the specifications then agreed upon and submitted. Those specifications showed a Masonic square and compass for a weather vane upon the cupola and the square and compfcS were accordingly placed there. Immediately there was a great outcry. The newspapers were filled with indignant and excited protests. Correspondents protested against the symbols of Masonry and begged that “our good little friend I basket”’ be elevated to the promi¬ nent and important position at the summit of the' Market House. “It is he who has buffetted old Boreas and told us which way the wind has blown for many years.” They suggested as a compro¬ mise with the Masons, that little Heiskell be in¬ vested with an apron, embellished if they please with the square and compass. The Masons did not fail to reply and the papers were filled with many sarcastic shafts directed at the Moderator and Commissioners, but these worthy officials re¬ garded the public clamor and the square and com¬ pass were ordered down and Little Heiskell rein¬ stated in his lofty station as overseer of the town. In 1880, the Odd Fellows who had purchased the rights of the Mt. Moriah Lodge in the east wing of the Market House, raised that portion of the building and the corner tower another story in height and the town erected a much higher cupola which elevated the town clock nearly a hundred feet from the pavement. This,, it was decided, would necessitate the removal of Little Heiskell but the suggestion was met by determined oppo¬ sition.from the people. The newspapers contained many protests against sitefi vandalism, petitions were signed and a public meeting was threatened when the Council gave way and ordered the little soldier to be reinstated after receiving a fresh uniform of gold leaf. When it was taken down it was found that the figure had been greatly injur¬ ed by rust and that during the war a musket ball had passed through it and several others had den¬ ted it. After Little Heiskell had been restored the money for the erection of the building was ex¬ hausted and in December 1823 the Legislature was called upon to authorize the town to raise more money for the completion of the work. At the dedication of the new hall which took place St. John’s day, June 24th, 1824, three hundred Ma¬ sons were present and the ceremonies were after an ancient and solemn form. Frisby Tilghman, Otho H. Williams, Thomas Kennedy, Wm. D. Bell, Win. Hammond, Henry Lewis, George Brumbaugh were the committee. The religious services were conducted at the Lutheran Church by the Rev. Benjamin Kurtz, and an oration was delivered by Col. B. C. Howard the Grand Master of Maryland. In the procession, besides the three hundred Ma¬ sons, were the clergymen of the town and five com¬ panies of militia—the American Blues, Washing¬ ton Huzzars, Union Guards, Washington Yeagers and Warren Rifle Corps. During the war the use of the Market House was discontinued and for twelve or fifteen years there was no public market in Hagerstown for the only time since 1716. The citizens were supplied with marketing from wag¬ ons which drove from house to house. Among these street vendors the most famous and best known for many years was “Bob” Warner, whose stentorian voice as he shouted out a list of his wares could be heard over the greater part of ■the town. In 1875 the Market House was enlarg¬ ed and improved and the public market, three days in the week, was revived. The proposition to re¬ establish it was bitterly opposed by many citizens who had become accustomed to this street service, and by merchants who feared it would injure the business of the town to place restrictions upon toe sale of country produce. But these objections were overruled and the market has been improv¬ ing each year and growing in public favor until now it has become one of the features of the town at which citizens “point with pride.” The excitement over Little Heiskell in 1823, gave place to another and much more important one, which involved the whole State, and was re¬ garded wiih interest in all sections of the Union. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 169 Under the original Constitution of Maryland, which was still in force at that time, Jews were debarred from the privilege of holding office by the declaration of belief in the Christian religion which all officials were compelled to make when they took the oath of office. In the Legislature at the session of 1818, and again in 1823, Mr. Thomas Kennedy, a member from Washington County, introduced a bill to remove the political disabilities of the Jews and to grant them the same privileges which they enjoyed under the Con¬ stitution of the United States—in other words, to do away with all distinction between Jew and Christian before the law. This bill was defeated in 1818. After Mr. Kennedy’s return home in 1818, he was bitterly assailed then as being "'‘an enemy of Christianity,” a “Judas Iscariot,” “one- half Jew and the other half not a Christian,” and “if he should, be re-elected he would renew his shameful attack upon the Christian religion.” But at this election the religious fervor of the people had not been aroused and Mr. Kennedy was re-elected. In 1822 the bill was passed by a slender majority. Under the Constitution it had to be approved by the next Legislature before be¬ coming operative; it therefore became the issue before the people at the election for members of the Assembly in 1823. All other questions were lost sight of, and even the Canal was forgotten. A perfect frenzy seized upon the people. Ten men were ready to take hold of the skirt of him that was a Jew, but with an entirely different motive from that suggested by the Prophet. In one issue of the Torch Light there were no less than four¬ teen different articles, written -with a degree of in¬ temperance which we in our day find it hard to understand. “A Christian Voter” asks the people of Maryland whether they wish to strike from our laws the last clause which declares our profession of Christianity. To pass this bill would encour¬ age Turks, Jews, Pagans and Infidels. It would sap the foundations of all we hold dear. “A Na¬ tive of Marjdand” declares that all the twelve mill¬ ions of this persecuted race which are scattered abroad throughout the whole earth, are welcome to come to our country. We will be friends with them. We will give them anything but our coun¬ try. We cannot make them masters over us. But the most conspicuous and violent in his opposition to the Jew Bill was-Benjamin Galloway. This eccentric gentleman headed the “Christian” ticket, and along with him on the same ticket were Jo¬ seph Gabby, Joseph I. Merrick and James H. Bowles. But Galloway conducted the campaign in the newspapers. This bill was an assault upon the Christian religion. He had voted against it in the legislature at the last session as a bill to promote infidelity. The father of the bill, Thomas Kennedy, was not a native of Maryland, but of Scotland—a country where infidelity had made more progress than in any other country. The approaching election, he said, would solve a doubt which has been raised in the minds of many of the believers in the divinity of our Blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, whether Christianity or Unitarianism has more supporters in Washington county. He did not wish the support of any Jews, Deists, Mahometans or Unitarians, but he wanted every Christian to go forward and uphold the Christian religion.” Of course the other side was heard from and replied in language equally vigor¬ ous but not so abusive. The Jew Bill ticket was composed of Thomas Kennedy, Ignatius Drury, T. B. Hall and Thomas Kellar. In all the dis¬ tricts of the county a religious frenzy took possess¬ ion of the people. The eight candidates were in¬ vited to a “spouting” at the Cold Spring, there to give their views in addresses to the people of the County who would be gathered there to hear them and decide between them. Mr. Kennedy and his colleagues on the Jew Bill ticket had reason and •right and justice on their side. But the people were in no mood to listen to reason. The “Chris¬ tian” ticket was elected’ by a vote of almost two to one. The National Intelligencer attributed the distressing result to a religious excitement which had been artfully fomented by misrepresenting the Jew Bill. Washington County was therefore represented in the Legislature by four opponents to the measure, which one of her delegates had the honor to introduce at the former session.* But one who was closely identified with the *The text of the law as published in 1825 is as follows: An Act for the relief of the Jews in Maryland. Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assem¬ bly of Maryland, That every citizen of this state pro¬ fessing the Jewish religion, and who shall hereafter be appointed to any office or public trust under the state of Maryland, shall, in addition to the oaths required to be taken by the constitution and law3 of the state, or of the United States, make and subscribe a declaration of his belief in a future state of rewards and punishments, in the stead of 170 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD county. John Van Lear McMahon, then a rising young lawyer representing Allegany county, car¬ ried on to completion the work which Thomas Kennedy had begun. In the session of 1824, Mr. McMahon delivered a speech of five hours dur¬ ation on this subject, and it has come down to us as one of the most eloquent and powerful speeches ever made within the walls of the old State House. In 1825 the bill was again passed and in 1826 Mr. Kennedy brought in a bill to confirm it. Mr. Galloway endeavored to raise the Jew issue at sub¬ sequent elections, but the people had recovered their reason and would listen to him no longer. Thomas Kennedy was the son of William Ken¬ nedy of Paisley, Scotland. He left home when a boy. April 18, 1796 and embarked at Port Glasgow in the ship Brittania, bound for Georgetown on the Potomac river. His motive in leaving home seems to have been a romantic desire to live in the “land of freedom.” His brother Matthew had already gone to America a good many years before. For twelve years no hews had been received from him and his parents supposed lie was dead, but in 1795 a stranger brought a letter from him, then a year old. giving a good account of himself and his pros¬ pects. in America. His brother John sailed from Port Glasgow a few clays before Thomas left and landed in New Y'ork the day Thomas landed at Georgetown. The voyage consumed thirty-eight days. As the Brittania let go her anchors at Georgetown on the 28th of May her guns were fired. This brought the inhabitants of the village clown to the waler side. Kennedy was the first of the passengers to jump from the captain’s jollf boat upon the shore glad, as he says in his journal, “glad once more to tread on solid ground—and that too in the land of liberty.” As he landed a tall man accosted him and asked where the vessel *i!Bs from. He understood the man to ask where he was from and answered “from Paisley.” The stranger then with great eagerness inquired of Mr. Kennedy his name. “And while he was speaking to rue.” continues the journal, “I thought fortune the declaration now required by the constitution and form of government of this State. 2. And be it enacted, That the several clauses and sections of the declaration of rights, constitu¬ tion and form of government, and every part of any law of this state contrary to the .provisions of this act, so far as regards the sect of people aforesaid, shall he, and the same is hereby declared to be repealed and annulled on the confirmation hereof. 3. And be it enacted. That if this act shall be had brought to me my brother Matthew whom 1 had not seen for eleven years, and on that supposition 1 told him I thought I knew him and then let him know my name ; but it was with difficulty I could persuade him I was his youngest brother (for the said person was indeed the same I supposed.) The mutual happiness caused by this meeting can be easier conceived than described. Thomas then went to his brother’s house, which was in Georgetown and became acquainted with his fam¬ ily, a wife and child. “After drinking some re¬ publican whiskey, I sat down to dinner and feast¬ ed on some wholesome fare, the product of Colum¬ bia and began first of all with luncheon made of Indian meal and well known by the name of Poan.” In the afternoon he went through the vil¬ lage and the following Sunday crossed Rock Creek to view the Federal City, Washington. Washing¬ ton was then a wilderness. The only buildings completed were a row Lnown as the “six building.” The President’s House and Capitol were begun but were not yet under roof. One grog shop was in a temporary shed near the White House and that was all of Washington just 112 years ago. Kennedy soon obtained employment as book keeper, first for a merchant in Georgetown and then for the building of the bridges across the Po¬ tomac at Little Falls, and later on for the Poto¬ mac Navigation Company. Whilst in the latter employment he met .Miss Rosamond Thomas of Frederick -who was visiting near the Great Falls and after a few years married her. In 1797 he removed to Washington County and engaged in the flour trade on the Potomac at Williamsport and owned the first boat that passed through the locks at Great Falls. In 1815 he published a small volume of poems. In 1817 and in the then succeeding years and again in 1822 he was elected to the House of Delegates. In 1821 he was defeated by Casper Wever by reason of a division of the republican vote. In 1822 he secured the passage of the “Jew bill” and for this reason he was defeated at the next two elections. In 1825 confirmed by the general assembly ot Maryland after the next election of delegates, in the first session after such new election, as the constitution and form of government direct, in such case this act and the alterations of the said constitution & form of gov¬ ernment, shall constitute and be valid as a part of the said constitution and form of government, to all intents and purposes, any thing therein contained to the contrary notwithstanding. Residence of P. Napoleon Brumbaugb, Hagerstown, Built in 1746. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 173 he went back and the Jew bill became a law. For this service to their people the Israelites were deeply grateful and sent him a number of hand¬ some presents, some of which are still preserved by his family. In 1826 he was appointed Post¬ master of Hagerstown which positon he resigned the following year to go to the State Senate. He died during the cholera epidemic. The Cold Spring, where the discussion of the Jew hill took place was near the southern outskirts of Hagerstown, on the beautiful property owned for many years by the late John H. Heyser. It was for many years a noted resort for the people of the town and a favorite place for eating dinner, drinking toasts and listening to orations and reading the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July. During this time it was the property of Dr. John Reynolds, who got it from his wife, the sister of Wm. 0 . Sprigg. It was fixed up as a regular resort; bath-houses, shower baths and hot baths were there, a restaurant, a bar-room, a ten-pin alley and a dancing hall were carried on for the delectation of visitors, and the baths were advertised as a specific for rheumatism. But the principal spring in the county was the Belinda Spring, on the banks of the Antietam, a mile or two from Sharpsburg. It was discovered in July, 1821, and was for many years a place of consider¬ able resort. Its waters unquestionably have min¬ eral virtues and were supposed to contain sulphate of magnesia and carbonate of iron, which was ad¬ vertised as very efficacious in bilious complaints, and fully equal to Bedford Water. A tavern was maintained for years, grounds were laid out and walks made on the opposite bank of the Antietam. A pleasure boat piled on the waters of the Potomac and Antietam, from the spring to Harper’s Ferry, affording visitors an opportunity to view some of the grandest scenery in America. At the tavern, the rates were six dollars a week and half that price for a servant or a horse. Guests could use the water free of charge, hut others had to pay a dollar, which wp= the price of the water by the barrel. Warm and shower baths were provided, and some seasons a theatrical troupe was in at¬ tendance to afford amusement to the guests. Among the visitors at this spring in 1825 or 1826, were Judges Wm. B. Rochester, of New York, the eldest son of Nathaniel Rochester, and Elias Glenn. These gentlemen declared themselves greatly benefitted by the waters. In 1825, Jacob B. Gilbert supposed that he had discovered medic¬ inal properties in a spring, which he named the Paradise Spring, on his faun three miles north of Hagerstown, on the great road leading to Wa;pMs- boro, and immediately started a health resort in opposition to Belinda. The water, he said, “w*8 distinguished from all other waters, and contains neutral and metallic salts and soda, and exerts a cleansing efficacy, purifies the blood and is tifee* tual in liver and pulmonary complaints, rheum¬ atism, sores, and vertigo. Applied as cold baths, it quickly cures nervous troubles, epilepsy, bt. Vitus' dance and distraction of the mind.'’ But the most popular and beautiful resort in the county, although very inaccessible, was the Black Rock. Here, each Independence day par¬ ties would gather and spread sumptuous repasts upon the beautiful green sward which surrounds the spring. The Declaration of Independence was regularly read and an oration was delivered, which was sure to meet with a hearty reception and vociferous applause, for patriotism was stimulated by an abundant ffilgjly of the pure honor distilled from Washington county rye by Washington coun¬ ty distilleries. At these, and all other social gath¬ erings, there had to be thirteen regular toasts, to correspond with the thirteen original States, and after these had been drunk with becoming fervor and responded to hv a selected orator, volunteers were in order and they were proposed and drunk as long as a man was left with sufficient sobriety to guide his glass to his lips. Not only at Black- Rock were these celebrations held. There was usually one m each of the election districts of the county and always one at the Cold Spring, and frequently at the taverns in Hagerstown. Fcr several years about IRS’, the Cave at Cavetown was illuminated and used for a kind of beer gar¬ den, and several 4th July Celebrations held here. An admission fee of 12 1-2 cents was charged. The issue of the newspapers immediately following the: 4th of July, were filled with bombastic accounts of these various celebrations and lists of the reg¬ ular and volunteer toasts which were proposed. Patriotism took various forms a. few gener¬ ations ago, and tiff One which in our day would be regarded as the most eccentric of all was the erec¬ tion of Washington Monument on the summit of South Mountain, just above Boonsboro, at a place then known as Blue Rocks. It is the most con¬ spicuous artificial object in our county and can be seen from almost every portion of the valley. No observant stranger, visiting Hagerstown, fails to 174 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD inquire what ii is, and but ffcw citizens can give any satiMaetory reph. At seven o’clock on the morning of July 4, IMi, a party of men, mostly laborers and mechanics, met in the public square of Boonsboro’ and under the command of George I. Hardy marched to the Blue Rocks with the determination to spend the day at hard labor erecting a monument to the Father of his Country. The foundation had been laid the day before. All set to work, actuated by a spirit of enthusiasm, except a party from If red i nek County, who greatly incensed the patriots by standing off and eating and avoiding work. At noon the Reverend .Mr. Gingham, of RoonsteW', an aged snrvivor of the Revolution, delnercd an address and at its conclu¬ sion a cold collation was spread. “It was not our object," says the leader, in narrating the history of the day “it was not ottt object to gratify our pampered appetites, consequently no sumptuous arrangements had teen made, neither were toasts prepared for the occasion.” This latter was a self denial which, it was likely, was unattained at any celebration of the times. It enabled the writer to boast that the whole party returned sober to then homes. They “enjoyed a more heartfelt satisfaction in partaking of their simple fare, than the most costly or highly .sgasoned dishes could have afforded. Oitr thoughts and food were both highly seasoned in the contemplation of our work.” The monument was fifty-four feet in circumfer¬ ence at its base and on this day was raised to a hemht of fifteen feet. The wall is composed of huge rtQn.cs, A flight of slept tuns through the pile to the summit, from which a magnificent view is spread out at the flit of the spectator. A pan¬ orama of lawns and villages, the fertile fields and mountain summits of three counties, and the Poto¬ mac: winding its tortnujjg® course amongst them. On tire side of the monument pointing west a white marble slab was placed, bearing the inscrip¬ tion: “Ere:ti'd to the memory of Washington, July 4, by citizens, of Boonsborough.” As this slab was placed three revolutionary soldiers ascended the monument and fired threw rounds of Hitistefiry from the top. “As it teas raised in much baste,” continues the grandiloquent patriot, from win '<• account this sketch is taken, “all cannot boast the regular accuracy of perfect, beauty; yet it possesses both solidity and durability—two im¬ portant qualities. It Tut* such strength as I think will preserve it for ages. Though rude and naked of all the i harms of ai the people of the County were in a great state of consternation. A moral shock which the people received this year was even more than the physical shock of an earthquake. In the Hagerstown papers of September 18, 1828, this item appears: “Much excitement has been produced in this county during the last wectc by the death of M rs. Mary C. Swearingen, which occurred near Cumberland, in Allegany County, on Monday week last. As the accounts of this melancholy event are contradictory, and the re¬ ports exceedingly numerous and conflicting, we shall wait until something positive transpires be¬ fore we hazzard a statement.’’ The next week a statement is made. The editor, “with feelings of the keenest regret and deepest horror, announced the fact, revolting to all the feelings and sympa¬ thies of our nature, that there is too much reason for believing that she came to her death by the hands of her husband.” George Swearingen was one of the brightest, wealthiest and most popular young men of Wash¬ ington County. His manner and person were pleasing; he had an obliging disposition, and was master of all the arts of obtaining public regard. Just a year before this time he had been elected sheriff of Washington County, then the most lucra¬ tive and honorable position the people could give. It was a hotly contested election and his opponents were leading and influential men—Christian Newcomer, Andrew Kershner and Jacob Miller—• but Swearingen received nearly a§ many votes as all the rest put together. The total vote cast was 3,775, of which he received 1,822. There were per¬ sons living in Hagerstown not many years ago who could remember Geo. Swearingen as he alighted from a stage in front of Martin Newcomer’s Tav¬ ern, where the Hotel Hamilton now stands. Some of them, as boys, scrambled for the handsfull of copper coins which Swearingen, in the elation of his recent election, scattered broadcast among them. Many of the same boys and a much larger crowd saw him, two years later, alight at the same place, this time in irons. Not many years before Swearingen was elect¬ ed to the Shrievaltjq he had married Miss Mary C. Sfiott, the daughter of James Scott, of Cumberland when she was but a school girl. He eloped with her from a boarding school, and married her for her money, although at the time he was in love with another woman. Mrs. Swearingen was a loving and tender woman, and deeply attached to her unworthy husband, maintaining her love for him to the last hour of her life, although he never cared for her. A month or two before his election, he became acquainted with a woman named Rachel Cunningham or Carnacum whose career of crime reads like a romance. She was brought up near Bedford, Pa., a fashionable watering-place with a reputation for great licentiousness. De¬ scriptions of her vary greatly. By some she was described as being in no way prepossessing. By others it was said that her person was perfectly lovely and that her countenance was a mirror in which each winning grace strove for pre-emi¬ nence, and that perhaps she possessed as great a share of personal loveliness as was ever lavished on a woman by nature in any of her freaks. She first, attracted public notice in Franklin County, Pcrojfwlvania, where she captured the affections of a married man, and effected a separation of him from his wife. Her next appearance was in Pitts¬ burg, where the victim of her charms was a wealthy iron-worker, and the proprietor of a large livery stable. The wife of this man had no mind to rest quietly under her wrongs, but revenged her¬ self by setting fire to much of her husband’s prop¬ erty. which was destroyed, including forty horses which perished in the flames started by the fury el: this woman scorned. The conflagration, how¬ ever, had the desired effect of driving off the wanton beauty, who left Pittsburg hastily, only to go to Harrisburg and there entrap the affec¬ tions of a Judge. Tt was not long before she uceasioned another divorce. Swearingen was her fourth victim of those whom the public knew. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 193 How or why she came to Hagerstown no one can tell, but she had been in the town only a short time when George Swearingen was among the number of the men she had mined. And his ruin was the most complete of all. It involved his fortune, his honor, his fame and his life. He built for her the brick house in Hagerstown which stood until November, 1890, on the property of the Washington County Railroad Company near the Hagerstown station. When the house was built the place was almost a swamp, and no other houses were nearer to it than Antietam street. It was so built that not a window or door opened towards the town, qnd in this there was a purpose. But this arrangement did not protect the Sheriff from public scorn and indignation. His wife left him in bitter resentment, and returned lo her old home in Cumberland. The people of the town were so outraged that a high official should conduct himself in this shameless manner, that a band of them went towards the house with the determination of razing it to the ground. But Swearingen was a bold man, and stood his ground. With rifle in hand he defied the mob and drove them off. Soon afterwards, however, he sent the woman. to Virginia and effected a reconciliation with hi’s wife, but in the meantime he had, with¬ out her knowledge, removed Rachel Cunningham to a farm belonging .to Mrs. Swearingen in Alle¬ gany County. It was near this farm that the shocking murder was committed. Swearingen and his wife and their little child three years old left Cumberland on a Sunday morning and spent the next night at Cresapstown. Early the next morning, when they had reached the vicinity of Mrs. Swearingen’s farm, they left the road. At the foot of a steep hill Swearingen was seen to alight from his horse put down the child on the ground, take his wife’s horse by the bridle and ■ disappear in the laurel bush, going up the lull. In this thick brush-wood the man hastily cut a club and killed his wife, spattering her blood aroxind. He then rode after a drover whom he had just passed and asked him to go for help, as his wife had fallen from her horse and he feared she was killed. When persons arrived, she was found to be dead. A jury of inquest was called who rendered a verdict that the unfortunate woman had met her death by an act of Provi¬ dence—so ready are men to accuse a benign Prov¬ idence of being the author of all misfortunes! But soon Swearingen, with that fatuity of mur¬ derers which has given rise to the proverb that “murder will out,” began to make inconsistent and contradictory statements and it was found that the knees of the horse which had been ridden by the dead woman had been cut with a knife and the sores on them were not made by a fall. The body was disinterred, and a second inquest held, which resulted in a verdict that the woman had been murdered by her husband. Before he could be arrested, Swearingen fled, and Rachel Cunning¬ ham disappeared at the same t’ime. The excite¬ ment and the public indignation Was intense. The Governor of the State issued a proclamation, offer¬ ing a reward for his capture. Hand bills giving an accurate description of the fugitive and of his companion were scattered broadcast. One of these handbills in December reached a post-office in a small tavern near the Red River, in Kentucky. A man and woman answering the description had spent the night at the tavern and had left, both riding the same horse, about an hour before the arrival of the mail which brought Governor Kent’s proclamation. The tavern-keeper gathered a few of his neighbors, and started in hot pursuit. In three hours the fugitives had been overtaken and arrested. On the fourth of May, the prisoner ar¬ rived in Hagerstown on one of the stages from Baltimore in charge of an executive messenger and a Baltimore constable. He was heavily ironed, and was kept under guard at the Globe tavern until the departure of the Western stage, which was to take him to Cumberland, in the county where the crime had been committed. It was said that while here he appeared to be in excellent spirits. He engaged John V. L. McMahon and Wm. Price, two of the most eminent lawyers in the State, to defend him. The trial came on in Cumberland in August 11, 1829, and lasted eight days. The whole his¬ tory of the crime and the events which led up to it were laid bare. The Judges who sat in the case were Chief Justice John Buchanan, Judges Thom¬ as Buchanan and Abraham Shriver. Never was an accused man more ably defended. His coun¬ sel, Messrs. McMahon, Price and Bushkirk, did all that learning and ability could accomplish, or ingenuity could suggest. Mr. Price spoke for five hours, and Mr. McMahon plead with the jury in a speech of seven hours duration—as able and as eloquent probably as any speech ever made in a criminal trial in this State. But it was all in vain. The wretched prisoner was so enclosed in 194 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD a network of evidence of kis own weaving that there was no escape. Even whilst Ms counsel was making this wonderful speech, a letter, written by him while in jail to the partner of his crimes, was produced and read by the State’s attorney to the jury. Mr. Dixon, the State’s attorney for Al¬ legany County conducted the prosecution. Within ten minutes after the close of the argument a ver¬ dict of guilty had been rendered. Judge Buchan¬ an pronounced the dread sentence of the law in wonderfully eloquent and touching terms and this sentence was executed on the flat on the west side of Wills Creek in Cumberland where the gallows had been erected. He was escorted to the gallows bv a number of companies of militia from ad¬ joining counties and accompanied by a number of ministers of the Gospel. But his last thoughts were given to Rachael Cunningham. Throughout the whole of the trial and execution, Swearingen conducted himself with the utmost indifference. The strangest part of the matter was that his body, when cut down from the gallows where it had hung for an hour, was sent to the home of the mother of his murdered wife. He confessed his crime and this confession and an account of the trial were published. Forty years later, the memory of this tragedy was revived by the announcement of the death of Rachael Cunningham in the Alms House of Baltimore City, where this long protracted life of infamy and shame came to an end. All through the history of the County can be traced a constant spirit of reform. The most persistent reformers were the temperance societies. Nothing could quench their zeal or dampen their ardor. And the immense amount of whiskey drink¬ ing was a constant demand for some movement in opposition. In November, 18?,3. a large num¬ ber of farmers met at the Court House and formed a temperance society. Daniel Reichard was elected president, and Samuel M. Hill secretary. The first step they proposed was to abandon whis¬ key in the harvest and hay fieldg and to increase wages to the amount the whiskey would east. A genuine temperance rscitement was started, which lasted nearly two years. Many storekeepers joined the society and abandoned the sale of whis¬ key in their shires, and it was gravity announced as the crowning triumph of the movement that at two taverns in Olearspring and two west of North Mountain, the practice of tippling on Sunday had been abandoned. Ira Hill’s enthusiasm took the form of rhyming and ho published some verses bidding adieu to whiskey for a year and perhaps forever. Connected with this movement, and per¬ haps stimulated by it, was a Methodist revival. A call for subscriptions to build a Methodist Church in the town was issued as early as 1827. Boons- boro became ambitious to become the seat of a college which was proposed by the Baltimore An¬ nual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and in January, 1830, a jmblic meeting was held to promote the scheme. Among the Acts of Assembly passed in 1829 was one incorporating a railroad from Williams¬ port, to Hagerstown, and one to provide for build¬ ing a bridge across the Antietaip on the road from Williamsport to Hess’es Mill. All through the early years of Jackson’s ad¬ ministration, there was intense excitement in this Couniy over his acts. His vetoes of bills appropri¬ ating money for public improvements nearly affected Washington County. The Maysville turn¬ pike veto put an end to the sanguine and well- founded expectation of making the canal a govern¬ ment work and a great national highway. Then the stock held in the Canal by the United States was voted to make General Eaton, one of the President’s so-called “kitchen cabinet” president of the Canal—electing him, as charged by the Whigs, by the influence of the Administration. Another act which greatly exasperated the Whigs of Washington County was the removal by the President of Casper W. Wever from the position of Superintendent of the National road. James Hampson, of Zanesville, Ohio, received the appointment. The excitement and indignation of the Whigs can scarcely be described. The bitter¬ ness of the Whig newspaper knew no bounds and the leading articles each week was about “King Andrew I.” Indeed there was but little else in the newspaper than criticism and vituperation of Jackson The editor of The Mail had an uphill work in his defence, and it can scarcely be denied that many of his admirers fell off. The postmas¬ ter at Williamsport, it was said, was ordered to deposit his recoil its in a bank in Chambersburg, rather than in the Hagerstown Bank, where they had been deposited theretofore, because the latter was a Whig hank. But when it came to the ap¬ pointment of a postmaster for Hagerstown, the whole population was in a state bordering on frenzy. The candidates for the position were Thomas Kennedy, William Fitzhugh, D. H. Schnebly and Frederick Humrichouse. A vote of OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 195 the people was taken, and the largest number was given to Frederick Humrichouse. But none of these candidates received the appointment. The old postmaster, 0. H. W. Stull, was removed and Dr. Howard Kennedy received the coveted prize. Dr. Kennedy had graduated in medicine a year and a half previously, and had settled in Williams¬ port to engage in the practice of his profession. Upon being appointed postmaster he came to Hag¬ erstown to live. The Whigs were deeply incensed at the removal of Mr. Stull and the Whig paper published 5 letter which William Anniba, the let¬ ter carrier, had addressed to Postmaster General Barry, reproaching him bitterly for compelling him to abandon his livelihood by the appointment he had made. Every line of the Presidents message of De¬ cember 1829, which was brought on horseback seventy-one miles from Washington, a part of the road being very bad, in five hours, was roundly denounced. So bitter was the personal feeling against Jackson, that when he came with his fam¬ ily to Hagerstown in June, 1830, on his journey to Tennessee the Whigs declared they “were mortified that the condnct of a President of the United States, or rather the President of a party in the United States, should have afforded cause for the cold, indignant, determined, manifestation of in¬ difference with which he was greeted in Hagers¬ town. Notwithstanding handbills announcing his approach, were freely circulated—notwithstand¬ ing strenuous exertions were made to get up an excitement and to arouse the people—notwith¬ standing the splendid state and style in which the President travels, well calculated to attract the curiosity of the crowd—notwithstanding all this, few individuals could be found, in our town, “so poor as to do him honor.” He arrived—he passed along our streets—he tarried within our borders— Yet all was still and silent—no commotion—no movement, among the people—no manifestation of feeling such as the presence of a great and good man is naturally calculated to inspire—none of that spontaneous evidence of public regard which the arrival of such men as President Washington and President Monroe, amongst us, called forth. As if conscious of the deadly injury which his hostility to internal improvements has inflicted upon our whole section of country—a section whose high hopes he has utterly blasted—our whole population, as if by a common consent, with but camparatively few exceptions, seemed to have withdrawn from the approach of President Jack- son, as they would have done from that of the pes¬ tilence that walketh at noon day.”* A very different reception, according to the same authority awaited the great Whig, Henry Clay, when, six months after Jackson’s visit, he drove up to the Globe tavern in his private car¬ riage. Mrs. Clay, who had lived some years in the house a few doors from the tavern, and her little grandchild, accompanied Mr. Clay. A pub¬ lic meeting was held at the Court House, anu an address, prepared by a committee which went to Clearspring to meet him, was presented. Among the large numbers who called upon him at the Globe, was a procession of a hundred and twenty mechanics, led by Capt. Zwingler. Mr. Clay was then on his way to Baltimore, where he was nom¬ inated a few weeks later for the Presidency. In his haste to go forward on his journey, he left his carriage at the Globe and proceeded in the stage. But the Whigs deceived themselves greatly, judg¬ ing from these outward appearances, for the elec¬ tion of 1832 showed that the Hero of New Orleans was as popular as ever. The campaign contest was waged bitterly all through the cholera scourge, but when election day came, the tide had set so strongly in favor of Jackson that his opponents in the County lost heart and almost abandoned the fight. Jackson carried the County by a vote of 1,931 to 1,364 for Clay. The Whigs indulged in the most gloomy forebodings of the future of the country, until a new excitement arose, partisanship was forgotten, and for once all united in an earnest support of the President. Two weeks after the election, the Secession movement took place in South Carolina and Jackson issued his famous proclamation. Instantly there was a bustle of military preparations. Stump speakers declared to deeply excited audiences, that the times were portentious. In January 1833 the Union Rifle Company was organized. The Franklin Blues and the First Hagerstown Infantry Company were called together and a great meeting was held at the Court House presided over by John Witmer with Alex. Neill, W. D. McGill and R. M. Tidball as vice-presidents, which resolved that the President s course be approved, and that no legislation to appease South Carolina should be passed. Whilst these political movements were in progress there was a steady onward movement in improvements and prosperity. In 1829 there was a determined effort to erect a Market House in 196 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Williamsport. On tlxe 21th of June in that year, the cornerstone of a Lutheran Church was laid in that town by Friendship Lodge of Masons. On the first day of the following year Daniel Weisel, then a young lawyer and afterwards a Judge on the bench of the Court of Appeals, and Thomas Trice, began the publication of the “Williamsport Banner and Weekly Advertizer.” It was an ex¬ cellently conducted journal, but did not continue many years. In Hagerstown there was a special effort for better streets, and a tax of twenty-five cents was levied for that purpose, and in 1831 a law was passed granting universal suffrage at town elections. Previously to that time, there was a property qualification. Notwithstanding the fact that in 1830 the wheat crop was greatly dam¬ aged by Hessian fly, and many fields had to be ploughed up and planted in corn, and that before harvest wheat brought only 68 to 70 cents per bushel, corn 30 cents, potatoes 18 to 20 cents, beef veal and pork, 5 or 6 cents, the fact that Hagers¬ town was an important town on the great through route to the West, brought considerable prosperity. Many buildings were erected, and every artisan in the town was occupied. Arthur Johnson, Thomas Martin and William Price started a cut¬ lery factory', and a large cotton mill on the Antie- tam was projected. Many persons were engaged in silk, culture, and thousands of Mulberry trees were planted. In November, 1831, Engineer (huger of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was in town to begin a survey of the Antietam and Conococheague Creeks, with a view to making them navigable. It was hoped to run boats from Chambersburg into the Canal at Williamsport. Public meetings were held to encourage this project and some work was actually done on the Antietam; not far from Ha¬ gerstown, some of the masonry can still lie seen. In Pennsylvania these schemes had the warm sympa¬ thy of the people, but they desired more than a navigable creek. Petitions for a railroad from Harrisburg to Williamsport were poured in upon the Legislature of that State. At Williamsport, the petitioners said, the road would connect with the great Western Canal, the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and the Baltimore and Westminster road, which it was then supposed would soon reach Williamsport, but which in fact did not enter that town for nearly a half century. Late in 1831 apprehensions were felt that after all the Balti¬ more and Ohio railroad would not come through the heart of Washington County, according to the original design, and meetings were held in Boons- borough and Hagerstown to urge the company to select that route. When the railroad finally left Hagerstown far to the right, and the Canal was opened to Williamsport, the most important trade of Hagerstown, that of flour and grain, was almost entirely diverted to Williamsport and thence to Georgetown, instead of going in wagons from Hagerstown to Baltimore. There was great con¬ sternation in Hagerstown over this condition which, as was always the case, found expression by means of public meetings.. Resolutions were adopted in Hagerstown and Boonsborough, urging the construction of a railroad to Hagerstown, so that this important trade could be regained. From 1820 to 1830 the population of Wash¬ ington County had increased from 23,065 to 25,- 235. The increase in Hagerstown during this decade had been about 20 per cent.—from 2,751 to 3,351; Sharpsburg from 656 to 756; Smithsburg from 136 to 210; Cavetown from 105 to 183. In 1830 Hancock had 367, Clearspring 374, Leiters- burg 208, Williamsport 859, Boonsboro 707, Funkstown 641. The town of Boonsboro along With Slifers, Hallers and Allabaugh’s additions, was incorporated in May 1832. The corner-stone of the Methodist Church in Smithsburg was laid Sep¬ tember 3, 1831, and in March, 1832, the church built in Clearspring by the Lutheran and Re¬ formed people was completed. In Hagerstown in 1830 John Craddock was making Allen's Thresh¬ ing Machines. Many persons in various parts of the county were also making these machines and Craddock claimed that they were infringing on his patent. A few years later, Obed Hussey who shares with McCormick the honor of inventing reapers, was selling his machines in Hagerstown. He had two .kinds, one for work on rough or stony ground, and the other, which was different in some of its details, for smooth fields. One ma¬ chine Hussey kept to hire to farmers to cut wheat by the acre. Among the taverns and tavern keep¬ ers about this time were the Columbian Inn, a few doors from the Court House, kept by C. C. Fechtig; the Swan Tavern was on North Potomac street; the Union Inn, on the southwest comer of the Square was kept by Mary and Daniel Sehleigh; the Rising Sun Tavern, opposite the Lutheran Church on Potomac street, was then and for many years the favorite resort of teamsters, and its spacious yard was always filled with the OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 197 -great express wagons from the West. At this time it was kept by Philip Householder. The Globe Tavern was kept in 1830 by Daniel Schnebly.* In May of that year the stables of that hostelry were burned, and it contained 1800 bushels of oats at the time. Notwithstanding this disaster, Schnebly gave notice that he could still accommo¬ date forty horses. It was in connection with this nre that public complaint was made of the apathy of citizens in working the engine, and a periodical call for a new fire company was made. One sar¬ castic individual proposed a fire company of women, remarking that they always did the best service at fires. In Williamsport, William Boullt kept the Potomac Hotel and the Smithsburg Inn passed from the proprietorship of John Russell to Daniel Flory, who supplemented this business by that of chair making. John Chase kept the Re¬ formed Tavern at Cavetown, and entertained many parties visiting the cave. In 1830, Hagerstown was visited, like Hamlin of old, by hordes of rats. The editor of one of the newspapers complained that they were in the cellars, garrets, kitchens and parlors, in the cupboards and meat houses, and he expected soon to have them invading the beds. It was of no avail for one person to destroy them, for the places of those killed would be immediately filled by a new invasion. A day was therefore set apart for a general and determined onslaught. In August, 1831, a band of players presented at the theatre in the Town Hall a play which was then popular in New York, “Tom and Jerry, or Life in London.” This was followed up by “The Taming of the Shrew.” A portion of the hall was reserved for the accommodation of “people of col¬ or.” It is a curious fact that the term negro was seldom used. The name was very offensive to these people and so considerate were people here of the sensibilities of their slaves that they were nearly always spoken or written of as “people of color.” Such tender regard has long since passed away. During these years many prominent citizens of the County passed away. Many of them had served their country in the war of the Revolution, and some were conspicuous in the State. Among these latter was General Samuel Ringgold, of Fountain Rock, who died at the residence of Wil¬ liam Schley, his son-in-law, in Frederick, on the 8th day of October, 1829, at the age of 67 years. Samuel Ringgold, the son of Thomas Ringgold and Mary Galloway, was born in Kent County in 1762. In 1792 he married a daughter of Gen.Cadwalla- der, and about that time removed to an estate of seventeen thousand acres of land in Washington County, known as Conococheague Manor. Upon this splendid estate he built the mansion house of Fountain Rock. The architect of this elegant res¬ idence was Benjamin H. Latrobe, the designer of the Capitol at Washington, whose grand-daughter, Mrs. Henry Onderdonk, is now its mistress—it having been converted into the College of St. James in 1842. Here General Ringgold lived in luxury, and entertained his friends in the best possible style. Among his friends were numbered many distinguished men. He had not been long in Washington County before he went to the front as one of the leading people. He served many years as Justice of the Levy Court, and was on many important committees. He was made Brig¬ adier General of the State Militia and upon sev¬ eral occasions had a well drilled force to offer to the Presideiijt. He was a strong supporter of Jefferson in his policies. Whilst he was a mem¬ ber of the State Senate, Edward Lloyd brought in a bill conferring universal suffrage and this bill received Ringgold’s warm support although at the time he was one of the wealthiest, and in his *The following is an advertisement of the Globe Tavern in 1825: THE GLOBE TAVERN. AND Stage Office. ' After the 15th of the present month, the above establishment will be conducted' by the subscriber, who has laid in a large assortment of The Choicest Liquors. His table will always be furnished with the best the markets can afford; his bedding, furniture, &c. will be of the first quality; and his house will be attended by the best of servants—In short, no pains will be spare’d to make the Globe Tavern as comfortable a stopping place as any other in the country, and on terms suited to the times. To Stage Passengers the subscriber would say, that every thing that he can do to make them comfortable will be done; a sober and attentive hand is engaged, whose duty it will be to attend the stage passengers, arranging the baggage, and to guard against exchanges and loss of baggage, which so frequently happen at stage offices when the different Stages meet. A few Boarders will be taken at the above estab¬ lishment, by the month or year, on moderate terms. DANIEL SCHNEBLY. Hagers-town, Md., March 12, 1825. N. B. A. Hack, Gigs and Horses, Will be constantly kept at the Globe for the accom¬ modation of the public. 198 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD private life, one of the most aristocratic men in the State. He also took a prominent part as Sena¬ tor in reforming the Judiciary. With an intermis¬ sion of two years, from 1815 to 1817, he represented the district in Congress, from 1810 to 1821 having been elected five terms, Being a member of Con¬ gress fit the time, he earnestly favored the declar¬ ation: of the war of 1812 with Great Britain, and was a strong supporter of Monroe’s administration. The first time Ringgold was a candidate for Con¬ gress in 1796, he was defeated by George Baer, Jr., of Frederick. This defeat was accomplished by exciting the prejudices of the German population. One George Jennings said on the stump that he had heard Ringgold say there was not a German in the County lit to go to the Legislature. In this campaign Thos. Sprigg had been offered the Democratic or Republican nomination but had declined to run. In 1S2U, Gen. Ringgold was one of the commission t® buy a lot and build a new Court House in Hagerstown. He was a mem¬ ber of the Episcopal Church, and at the sale, of pews in St. John’s Church in November, 17 97, he paid the highest price. For a time he served as vestryman of the church. Gen. Ringgold was twice married. His ge&mM- wife was Maria Antio- nette Hays, a grand-daughter of President Madi¬ son. The marriage ceremony was performed m the YTsite House. Many children sprang from these two marriages. Among these were the dis¬ tinguished Major Samuel Ringgold who died on the field of Palo Alto in Mexico; George H. Ring- gold of the L T . S. Army, who died ip California in April 1864, when deputy paymaster-general, Fay¬ ette, who was once minister to Peru; Rebecca, who married Dr. Hay, of Chicago; Ann Cndwallader the wife of William Schley; and Cadwallader Ringgold of the Navy, who died in 1862, with the rank of rear-admiral. General Samuel Ringgold, by his expensive establishment and lavish hospital-' ity, became poor towards the end of his life. Farm after farm was sold off his great manor, until all was gone. Fie lies buried in a neglected enclosure at Fountain Rock, along with Maria his wife, three sons who died young and two brothers. There is a superstition that each night, as the clock strikes twelve, the rattle of wheels, the sound of horses’ hoofs, and the rustling of silk dresses may he heard at the imposing front entrance of Foun¬ tain Rock. These sounds are supposed to he: pro¬ duced by the spirit of Ringgold, driving a phantom coach to the door of his old home. General Ring¬ gold’s second wife was a lady of rare beauty and accomplishments and brilliant in conversation. Whilst a widow she built the house on Washington street opposite Prospect, afterwards owned by Judge French, for a home, but her widowhood lasted only three years. In 1832 she married R. M. Tidbaii of Winchester, Va. The two lived for a number of years in their home in Hagerstown. In 1860, Mrs. Tidball, being again a widow, removed to San Francisco and there spent the remainder of her days with her son, Col. George Hay Ringgold, paymaster in the Army. She died October ft, 1815, at the age of eighty-five years. In one respect, Benjamin Galloway’ was like Ringgold, lie was an intensely earnest Demo¬ crat in his politics but his democracy extended no further. Galloway died in Hagerstown in August, 1831, at the age of seventy-nine years. Possibly there are some citizens of Hagerstown now living who can remember an eccentric old gentleman with long white hair, with elegant man¬ ners and courteous demeanor, who lived in the stone house at the corner of Washington and Jon¬ athan streets, now the residence of Edward W. Mealey. He was somewhat convivial, and very fond of writing for the newspapers. He generally wore a blue coat the pockets of which were filled with newspapers and manuscript. It was difficult for an acquaintance to pass him on the street. He was anxious to declaim upon politics, or to read In-, latest communication to the Torch Light or his last poem, to-anyone who was willing to listen to him. This gentleman was Benjamin Galloway, Cor nearly forty years one of the best known and most conspicuous citizens of the County. Gallo¬ way was born in England in 1752, was educated at Eton and received a legal education at the Temple in London, Throughout the contentions between the home government and the Colonies which led to the war for Independence his sympa¬ thies were with the Colonists, and before the dec¬ laration of hostilities he embarked for America and settled in Anne Arundel County. He was a member of the first State Legislature and, at¬ tracting attention by his zeal for the patriot cause, he, although but twenty-five, years of age, received the appointment of Attorney General in the new government. This office he held but a very short time, not more than a month, when he resigned. Tills unfortunate resignation returned to torment Galloway at every politcal controversy into which he entered, and he was never out of them. It was OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. charged each time that the office of Attorney Gen¬ eral had been renounced because of timidity, or because he was secretly a Tory. These accusations were furiously repelled. He had resigned, he said, only in deference to the commands of a timid father. Galloway married Miss Henrietta Chew, of Washington County, and removed from Anne Arundel to reside on “Chew’s farm” near the Potomac, six miles below Williamsport. There he was living in 1798. His republicanism was so pronounced, that in that year, when war with France seemed unavoidable, during a temporary absence from his home, a report was circulated that he sympathized with the French against his own government, and had declared his intention of joining them if they landed on our soil. This report he denounced in the newspaper as the work of a calumniator and a villain. In 1800, he had removed to Hagerstown, and occupied a house owned by Nathaniel Rochester. In 1802, he re¬ ceived the appointment of Associate Justice for Washington County, but shortly resigned the office. He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and for a time a vestryman of the parish. All through his life he was a ceaseless agitator. He was constantly a candidate for the legislature, and several times for elector of the Senate. In 1822, he was elected, and made a diligent member. Again in 1823 he was elected after a fierce cam¬ paign, at the head of the “Christian ticket,” in opposition to the removal of the disabilities of the Jews, lie was a ceaseless and voluminous writer for the newspapers, and gave and received many trenchant blows. One of his favorite ob¬ jects of assault was the banks. The prevailing system of banking he declared to be nothing more than public swindling and called and addressed a public meeting on this subject. While a young man at Annapolis, he became intimately acquaint¬ ed with John Park Custis, Mrs. Washington’s son, who was then a student at St. John’s College. In December 1772, upon receiving a warm invitation from Washington, he accompanied young Custis home, and spent the Christmas holidays at Mount Vernon. Of that visit, Galloway used to relate the following anecdote: “A few days after I arrived at Mount Vernon, Lord Sterling and Captain Foye, (the latter being the then secretary to Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia) being on their way from Williamsburg to New York, called on Col. Washington, with whom they sojourned for three or four days, the weather being very tempestuous and sleety. A large company being at the supper table the last evening they were at Mount Vernon, Col. Washing¬ ton’s well known servant man, named Billy, enter¬ ed the room from Alexandria, to which place he had been sent by Col. Washington for newspapers and letters, and delivered some newspapers to Coi. Washington, who cast them about midway the table, and requested those who took them up to read aloud such articles of intelligence as they might judge would be desirable to the company. I being seated in a chair which enabled me to lay my hand on one of the newspapers, took the liberty of so doing, and soon announced to the company a very interesting fact, to-wit: The destruction of the King of England’s sloop of war, called Gaspee, by a party of Yankees; she having when in close pursuit (heavy gale of wind) of a Brother Jona¬ than coaster (smuggler) missed stays and,being so near to the shore, the commander of the Gaspee lost all command of her, and she was run ashore high and dry. The Yankees in a short space of time collected in sufficient force and burnt her. Captain Foye asked me to pass the newspaper from which 1 had communicated to the company the foregoing t (l will venture to say to him) bitter pill read the article and instantaneously declared ore rotundo, that blood must be drawn from the Yan¬ kees before they would be taught to conduct them¬ selves as obedient subjects ought to do; and inso¬ lently said that he, yes, that he would engage to put down all opposition to the execution of reve¬ nue acts which had been lately passed, by the King and Parliament of Great Britain; and more¬ over that he would undertake so to do at the head of five thousand British troops; which he would march from Boston to Charleston, South Carolina. Col. Washington was engaged in perusing one of the newspapers, whilst Captain Foye was uttering these insulting and audacious words. Col. Wash¬ ington withdrew his eyes from the newspaper, placed them steadfastly on Captain Foye, and ob¬ served that he (Col. W.) entertained no doubt that Capt. Foye could march at the head of five thousand British troops from Boston to Charleston, So util Carolina, but added, that he should be obliged to Capt. Foye to inform him (Col. W.) whether he meant as a friend or as an adversary! “If as an adversary,” said Col. Washington, “and you, sir Would inform me of your intention so to 200 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD do, a few weeks previous to your entry into the ancient dominion, I would engage to give you a handsome check with the Virginia riflemen alone !” There were, on the supper table, at the time when Col. Washington favored Capt. Eoye with the above stated retort courteous, twelve or Ilfteen wine glasses and two or three decanters of excell¬ ent old Madeira. At the instant that Col. Wash¬ ington uttered the words Virginia riflemen alone , he struck the table with his right hand so violently that the decanters and glasses leaped from their proper places and I expected to have beheld them all prostrate on the table. Capt. Foye made no reply but immediately addressed his conversation to Mrs. Washington, at whose left hand he was seated; 'and during the remainder of the evening he observed a deathlike silence to Col. Washington. Capt. Eoye and Lord Sterling departed from Mount Vernon immediately after breakfast the next morning.* Mr. Galloway kept around him a large num¬ ber of slaves who had nothing to do and whom he greatly indulged. It was a common thing for *a long row of them to be seen lining the side of the house on Jonathan street, and enjoying them¬ selves in the sunshine. One of these slaves was a girl who was raised in the house as a family pet, and who frequently engaged in capers which would have made a less indulgent master sell her to the cotton fields. One day, in a fit of ill temper, this girl took a stick and punched holes through the family portraits which Mr. and Mrs. Galloway prized more highly than any other of their pos¬ sessions. The ruined portraits were boxed up and buried in the- yard and the girl was in no wise punished. Mr. Galloway possessed considerable wealth, owning about a thousand acres of land in Anne Arundel county, which he devised along with his other property to his wife for her life and then to James Cheston, the son of his sister Ann. Mrs. Henrietta Mariain Galloway possessed a great deal of property in her own right. Chew’s farm near Williamsport containing about fifteen hundred acres had been devised to her by her uncle Bennett Chew, and her father had given her a large tract. She died about 1847, and left most of her property to Peregrine, John and Benjamin Fitzhugh, the sons of her nephew William Fitzhugh. The next year, 1833, another, and in 1834 two more Revolutionary characters died, both of them natives of Ireland. In October, Captain Robert Douglas died at the age of 85 years, fifty-nine of which he had passed in Hagerstown. He had for many years filled the honorable position of Justice of the Peace, and had served several terms in the Assembly. He had been a brave soldier in the Revolutionary w-ar, and during his long residence in .Hagerstown he was held in high esteem. In August, 1834, Patrick Garaughty, a native of Ireland and a soldier of the Revolution, died at his home near Hancock at the age of 82. The death of the Marquis de la Fayette, which took place in 1834, was celebrated in Hagerstown as in all other tow-ns throughout the United States by funeral meetings and processions, in which the militia companies took part, escorting a funeral car and a handsomely caparisoned horse. The mil¬ itary companies taking part in these funeral cere¬ monies were the Jefferson Greys and the rifle com¬ panies of Williamsport, Clearspring and Hancock. Christian Newcomer, the sheriff of the County, died in February, 1832- He w-as a prominent man and had several times been sheriff. The first of this numerous family to come to America was Wolfgang Newcomer, a native of Switzerland. He settled in Lancaster, Pa., in the latter part of the eighteenth century. His three sons, Henry, Chris¬ tian and Peter, all came to Washington County. Their descendants now living in the County are numerous, including not only those bearing the name of New-comer, but many of the Ankeneys, McLaughlins, and Rentches. Henry and Chris¬ tian settled on Beaver Creek and Peter near Boons- boro or Bcnevola. Christian was a Bishop in the United Brethren Church. Henry was the grand¬ father of the late Benj. F. New-comer of Baltimore, and Alexander* and William of Washington County. Upon the death of Sheriff Newcomer, the Governor appointed William H. Fitzhugh to the office. Mr. Fitzhugh had just been elected to the Legislature, but he resigned his seat to accept the Shrievalty. A special election was therefore necessary to fill the vacancy in the Legislature. This was held in March, and Thomas Kennedy was elected over E. M. Harrison by a vote of 941 to 728. Mr. Kennedy died of cholera before he had ♦Communication in the Hagerstown Torch Light, dated Dec. 21, 1818: *To the late Mr. Alexander Newcomer the author is deeply indebted for valuable files of newspapers, which were of great use in the preparation of this history. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 201 completed his term and Joseph Weast was elected to fill that vacancy. In January, 1834, Col. Dan¬ iel Malotte, who had just been elected to the Leg¬ islature, died, and Col. Win. Fitzhugh, who was next highest on the poll, succeeded him. In March 1832, the Washington County Bank of Williamsport, the successor to the old Conoco- cheague Bank, was incorporated with a capital stock of $250,000 in shares of $25. John R. Dali, Danl. Weisel, Matthew S. Yan Lear, James Grimes, Michael A. Finley, C. A. Warfield, of A, Abram Barnes and Robert Wason were the committee to receive subscriptions. In November of the same year, the Bank organized. John Van Lear was president; Chas. A. Warfield, J. T. Towson, D. Weisel, Robert Wason, John R. Dali, Jos. Charles, Jr., and Jacob Wolf were the directors. CHAPTER XIV HE Potomac Company having signally fail¬ ed to realize General Washington’s grand idea of uniting the West to the East by the bonds of commerce and common interests, and having instead thereof been an imperfect and costly method for merely lo¬ cal traffic in boats drawing one foot of water, it became the general desire to substitute some better method. This project took shape in 1823 and the proposition was to construct a canal along the Potomac river to its head waters and thence to the waters of the Ohio river. This scheme was brought before the Legislature of Maryland and met with general approval. The Legislature called a Canal Convention to take into consideration the practicability and expediency of uniting by canal. navigation, the waters of the Chesapeake bay with those of the river Ohio, and to devise ways and means to effect that object. Delegates were sent from fourteen counties in Virginia, one in Pennsylvania, eight in Maryland and from the three cities of the District of Colum¬ bia, Washington, Georgetown and Alexandria. This celebrated convention met in the Capitol it Washington on the 6th day of November 1823, and reassembled on the 6th of December 1826. Washington County was represented at the first session by Casper W. Wever, Otho H. Williams, Thomas Kennedy and Frisby Tilghman.—At the second session, three years later, there were seven¬ teen delegates, Franklin Anderson, Marmaduke W. Boyd, Wm. Fitzhugh, Jr., George Hedrick, Samuel M. Hitt, Thomas Keller, Thomas Ken¬ nedy, John Keynolds, Frisby Tilghman, Matthew S. Van'Lear, Otho II. Williams, John Blackford, Thomas C. Brent, Thomas Buchanan, John K. Dali, Wm. Gabby and David Schnebley. The con¬ vention was presided over by Governor Joseph Kent, of Maryland and Walter Jones, of Washing¬ ton City was the secretary. Among the delegates were Janies M. Mason, Bushrod C. Washington and G. W. Parke Custis. At the last sitting five counties of Ohio and twelve of Pennsylvania were represented. There was presented to the conven¬ tion at its first sitting a communication from citi¬ zens of Belmont County, Ohio, setting forth that the canal wordd in their opinion be the outlet for all the trade of the Ohio river above the Falls, and they anticipated a great advance in the value of their lands when the work was in operation. They urged its extension to the waters of Lake Erie and believed that in that way the trade of all the great lakes could be commanded. After a three day’s session and an earnest and dignified debate the convention adopted a series of resolutions setting forth that a connection of the Atlantic and Western waters, by a canal lead¬ ing from the seat of the general government to the river Ohio, regarded as a. local object was one of the highest importance to the States, immediately interested therein, and, considered in a national view, is of inestimable consequence to the future union, security and happiness of the United States. It was therefore resolved unanimously that it was expedient that such a canal should be made. The Legislature of Virginia had already passed an Act on Feb. 22. 1823, incorporating the Potomac Canal Company. That act was to be accepted as the charter of the company with certain modifications. Among these was a change in the name fo the 201 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD “Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.” That the canal should not be less in width than forty feet at the surface and twenty-eight feet on the bottom nor the depth of the water less than four feet. That the maximum profit of the company should not exceed fifteen per cent, per anjium, a caution, which in the light of subsequent history proved unnecessary. A subscription to the capital stock of $2,150,000 was suggested. Two elevenths of this sum was apportioned to Maryland, three elev¬ enths to five State of Virginia, four elevenths to the United States, two elevenths to the District Cities. After the appointment of a number of committees, including one to urge the State of Ohio to contribute toward the construction of the canal, the convention adjourned. ■ The Legislature of Virginia passed a law on the 21th of January, 1824, incorporating the canal. The capital stock'was put at six millions of dollars, divided into sixty thousand shares, to be paid in money or certificates of stock of the Potomac Com¬ pany, which had already assented to the incor¬ poration of the new company. There were to be elected by the stockholders a President and six Directors; each stockholder should have one vote for each share up to ten and one vote for every five shares above ten, and no official of the com¬ pany should be allowed to vote any stock but his own. To constitute a general meeting of the stockholders the major part of the stock must be represented. The canal and its accessaries were to be vested in the stockholders as tenants in com¬ mon, according to the amount of stock, and the shares were to be forever exempted from the pay¬ ment of any taxes, and the Directors were allowed to fix and collect tolls, which should not exceed the rate of two cents per ton per mile. Should the net profits of the canal exceed ten per cent, on the shares which had been paid for in money, the excess should go to the payment of a dividend up to six per cent, on such shares as had been paid for in the stock of the Potomac Company. Any further excess should go to the construction of the western section until it should he completed. Long and minute: provision was made for the future dis¬ tribution of surplus revenue. The canal company was required to maintain the Potomac river in a navigable condition until canal navigation should be prepared and the right to. all the streams in the mountain west of Cumberland necessary lo the construction and operation of the work also con¬ ferred, and the canal was declared a public high¬ way. Provision was made for the condemnation of land required, and it was enacted that on pay¬ ment of the awarded damages the company should be seized of the land as of an absolute estate in perpetuity, or with such less quantity and duration of interest or estate in the same, or subject to such partial or temporary appropriation, use or occu¬ pation as shall be required and described as if conveyed by the owner to them. The required dimensions were those recommended by the canal convention, forty feet in width at the surface, twenty-eight at the bottom and four feet'of depth. At the suggestion of the United States, these di¬ mensions were afterwards increased and the canal was finally made six feet deep throughout. Prom Georgetown to Harper’s Perry, sixty miles, it is sixty feet wide at the top and forty-two at the bottom; from Harper’s Perry to dam No. 5, forty-seven miles, it is forty feet wide at the surface and thirty-two on the bottom; from dam No. 5 to Cumberland, seventy-seven and a half miles, the top width is lifty-four feet and the bot¬ tom thirty feet. To all cases arising from contro¬ versies about the condemnation of lands coming up in the courts precedence was to be given over all other cases so that the work might not be de¬ layed. The canal was to be divided into the first and second or Eastern and Western Sections—the former to extend from tidewater in the District of Columbia to the mouth of Savage river in the north branch of the Potomac at the base of the Allegany mountain, second or Western Section to extend thence along the Savage river as far as practicable to reach some convenient point for connecting the eastern and western waters by a tunnel through or an open cut across the dividing ridge between the same, and thence, after crossing said ridge, to the highest steamboat navigation of the Ohio river or of gome tributary thereof. The Legislature of Pennsylvania passed an act Febru¬ ary 9th, 1820, incorporating the canal, and as¬ sented and adopted section after section and par¬ agraph the, act of Virginia of 1824, hut with the condition that the company should extend tile canal to Pittsburg. On the 21st of January, 1S28, at a general meeting of the stockholders of the canal, it was resolved, in aefordance with the re¬ quirement of this act, that whenever the Western section “shall be constructed, the Western termina¬ tion, thereof shall he at Pittsburg.” The Virginia act of 1824 further required the company to begin operations within two years and to complete one OF WASHINGTON UOUNTY, MARYLAND. 205 hundred miles within live years and the whole Eastern section within twelve (12) years from commencement of the work upon pain of forfeit¬ ure of the charter. This time was extended from time to time by subsequent acts. Should the West¬ ern section not be begun two years after the com¬ pletion of the Eastern and finished within six years after it was begun, all rights as to that section should lapse. The right to use the waters of the Potomac in constructing any lateral canals was conceded to the States of Maryland and Penn¬ sylvania. In December, 1824, the General Assembly .of Maryland passed an act confirming the Virginia charter, reciting the wdiole of that act, after wnich it was enacted and declared that by confirming the Virginia act it is was not intended to deny to Congress the right to legislate on the subject of canals and roads and the express right of the State of Maryland to construct a lateral branch from the canal to Baltimore was declared. On the 3d of March, 1825, the President of the United States signed an act of Congress confirming the charter in order to grant the right of construction and operation within the District of Columbia, and granting to the State of Maryland the privi¬ lege of constructing the lateral canal to Baltimore should, it be ascertained by three skillful com¬ missioners to be appointed by the President that such a branch to Baltimore was feasible and would not be injurious to the Chesapeake and Ohio Ca¬ nal. The three States of Maryland, Virgina and Pennsylvania and the Congress of the United States all joined in incorporating the canal because it was believed at that time it would be in the territory of each. It was not finally decided for some years afterwards whether the canal should be made on the north or south bank of the Potomac west from Harper’s Ferry. On the 6th of March, 1826, the General Assembly of Maryland passed “an act for the promotion of internal improve¬ ment,” incorporating the Maryland Canal Com¬ pany to construct a canal from the terminus or some other point on the Chesapeake and Ohio Ca¬ nal to Baltimore, and directing the treasurer of the Western Shore to subscribe for five thousand shares of the capital stock, and also for a like amount in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal^ and also to subscribe to the latter canal the stock held by the State in the old Potomac Company. Thr subscription for the five thousand shares in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal "was, by the terms of the act, to be inoperative unless the United States should take ten thousand shares and enact a law securing to the State the right to continue the canal through the District of Columbia to Balti¬ more. Several acts were passed modifying and explaining the portion of the act of 1826 relating to the State subscription—one of them passed March 10, 1827, and another December, 1827. The State subscription was ratified and accepted at a general meeting of stockholders held June 23, 1828. At the December session, 1826, the charter was amended so as to terminate the eastern section at Cumberland and to allow greater discretion in locating the Western portion, and shortly after¬ wards Virginia gave its assent. At the December session, 1827, an act was passed permitting aliens to subscribe to the capital stock. February 26, 1828, Virginia assented to this amendment. The Congress of the United States passed an act May 24, 1828, authorizing a subscription for ten thou¬ sand shares of the stock of the company and im¬ posing certain conditions as to the dimensions and elevations. The same day the President approved an act authorizing each of the three cities of the District of Columbia to subscribe to the stock of the canal'. Under authority of acts passed by Congress, Maryland and Virginia the following commissioners for receiving subscriptions were appointed: By the President of the United States, Samuel H. Smith, Anthony C. Cazenove and Clem¬ ent Smith, of the District of Columbia; by the Governor of Virginia, John C. Hunter, Wm. Ell- zey, Rd. H. Henderson; by the Governor of Mary¬ land, Samuel Sprigg, Frisby Tilghman, Philip E. Thomas. The Potomae Company, on the 15th of Au¬ gust, 1828, executed a deed surrendering their charter, property and rights to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. After the charter had been granted and every¬ thing was in readiness to receive subscriptions and organize, the Canal Convention already referred to reassembled at "Washington December 6, 1826, an'd approved the charter, and a general and very intelligent discussion of the whole canal question, including the proposed extension to Baltimore and the subscriptions by the States, District cities and General Government took place. It was not until June, 1828, however, that a 206 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD sufficient amount of the stock had been taken and the company was formally organized and ac¬ cepted the charter. At this time 36,089 shares of the capital stock, amounting to $3,608,900, had been taken. The State of Maryland had subscribed to five thousand shares, the United States to ten thousand, Wash¬ ington, Georgetown and Alexandria, the District cities fifteen thousand, and individuals five thou¬ sand, three hundred and sixty-two. Constructing according to the dimensions first proposed, it was estimated that it would require less than eight hundred thousand dollars in addition to this to complete the work to Cumberland, hut by adopt¬ ing the suggestions of the committee of Congress and making the depth six feet instead of four, and greatly increasing the width,, the cost was enor¬ mously increased. At the first meeting of stockholders held in the City Hotel in Washington, beginning June 21, 1828, Charles F. Mercer, of Virginia, was elected President. The directors were Phineas Janney, of Alexandria, Joseph Kent of Maryland, Peter Len¬ ox and Frederick May, of Washington, Walter Smith, of Georgetown,' and Andrew Stewart of Pennsylvania. Clement Smith, of Georgetown, was the clerk. At- this meeting, which began June 21st and continued on the 23rd and on July 3 and 10, it was determined to select the route surveyed by the U. S. engineers and by Messrs. Geddes and Roberts, and which had been communicated to Congress by the President. On the 4th of July, 1828, the work of construction was formally begun at Georgetown with imposing ceremonies, in the presence of a great concourse of people and with an exhibition of the florid oratory of that day which makes curious read¬ ing in this more practical time. Thirty miles distant at the same hour ground was broken for another enterprise in which the people of the State of Maryland and of Washington Coun¬ ty were deeply interested, but which was then considered of vastly smaller consequence than the canal—the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The first spade full of earth in the construc¬ tion of the canal was removed by no less a person¬ age than John Quincy Adams, the President of the United States. At the proper time in his carefully prepared speech be received “the hum¬ ble instrument of rural labor, the symbol of the favorite oeecupation of our countrymen,"’ from General Mercer, the President of the canal, and proceeded to bury it into the earth. But the spade struck a root and did not sink in. “Not deterred by trifling obstacles,” says the newspaper account of the day, “from doing what he had deliberately resolve to perform, Mr. Adams tried it again with no better success. Thus foiled, he hastily threw down the spade, hastily stripped off and laid aside his coat and went seriously to work. The multi¬ tude around and on the hills and trees, who could not hear because of their distance from the open space, but could see and understand, observing this action, raised a loud and unanimous cheering, which continued for some time after Mr. Adams mastered the difficulty.” The procession to the place for beginning the work was formed in Washington, which was at that time separated from Georgetown by a consid¬ erable intervening space, and with no better meth¬ od of communication between the two cities than stages on an execrable road. And the President of the United States, together with the representa¬ tives of foreign countries, the high officials of the Government, the officials of the canal company, companies of militia with bands of music and many distinguished personages, came around to Georgetown in boats and landed a considerable distance above that city, and proceeding to the spot designated by Judge Wright, the chief engi¬ neer of the canal, for the beginning of the work, and not far from the canal of the old Potomac Company. Here a hollow square was preserved in the crowd, and in the midst stood Mr. Adams and Gen. Mercer. “At that moment,” says the account already referred to, “the sun shone out from behind a cloud and, amidst a silence so in¬ tense as to chasten the animation of hope and to hallow the enthusiasm of joy, the Mayor of George¬ town handed to Gen. Mercer, the President of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, the conse¬ crated instrument, which having received, he step¬ ped forward from the resting column and address¬ ed as follows the listening multitude: “Fellow Citizens: There are moments in the progress of time, which are the counters of whole ages. There ftre events, the monuments of which surviving every other memorial of human exis¬ tence, eternise the nation to whose history they be¬ long, after all other vestiges of its glory have dis¬ appeared from the globe.” Turning towards the President of the United States, who stood near him, Mr. Mercer proceeded : “Mr. President: On a day hallowed by the mmm OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. fondest recollections, beneath this cheering (may we not humbly trust, auspicious) sky, surrounded by the many thousand spectators who look on us with joyous anticipation; in the presence of the representatives of the most polished nations of the Old and New Worlds; on a spot, where little more than a century ago, the painted savage held his midnight orgies; at the request of the three cities of the District of Columbia, I present to the chief magistrate of the most powerful republic on earth for the most noble purpose that was ever conceived by man, this humble instrument of rural labor, a symbol of the favorite occupation of our coun¬ trymen. May the use, to which it is about to be devoted, prove the precursor to our beloved coun¬ try, of improved agriculture, of multiplied and di¬ versified arts, of extended commerce and naviga¬ tion. Combining its social and moral influence, with the principles of that happy constitution, under which you have been called to preside over the American people; may it become a safeguard to their liberty and Independence, and a bond of perpetual Union! "To the ardent wishes of this vast assembly, I unite my fervent prayer to that infinite and awful Being without whose favor all human powd¬ er is but vanity, that He will crown your labor with his blessing and our work with immortality.” “As soon as he ended, the President of the United States, to whom Gen. Mercer had presented the spade, stepped forward, and with an animation of manner and countenance which showed that his whole heart was in the thing.” President Adams’ speech was beautifully and poetically expressed. He quoted Bishop Berkely’s tribute to the “noble Empire of Time.” There was a great deal of contrasting the conquests of the old world, “watered with the tears of the widow and the orphan, with the conquests of man over himself and over physical nature, the inspirations of genius and the toils of industry.” The pro¬ gress of the United States towards perfection was outlined. The project of the canal “contemplates a conquest over physical nature such as has never yet been achieved by man. The wonders of the ancient world, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Coilos- sus of Rhodes, the Temple of Ephesus, the Mausa- leum. of Artemesia, the Wall of China, sink into insignificance before it—insignificance in the mass and momentum of human labor required for the execution—insignificance in the comparison of the purpose to be accomplished by the work when executed.” While we canont help smiling at the exuber¬ ance of this language, it must not be forgotten that the canal, of which these gentlemen were speaking, was to tunnel the Allegany mountains, to connect the Great Lakes with the Eastern Sea¬ board, and to be the outlet for the productions of the great valley of the Mississippi, and by means of bateau navigation on the headwaters of the Missouri and Yellowstone to penetrate into the Rocky Mountains, and be the bond of perpetual union which was to bind the East and the West together into one country. Among the first questions to be decided was the depth and width of the canal. The charter had prescribed a depth of four feet and a width of forty feet. The United States recommended an increase in depth to six feet and in width to sixty feet. One reason assigned for the greater dimensions was that it takes much less power to propel a boat through the deeper than the shal¬ lower water. The truth of this is well understood at the present day by all engaged in steam navi¬ gation, but at that time it was only a theory and in order to test it, a short section of the canal was constructed according to each dimension and it was found that the gain in facility of transporta¬ tion m the greater body of water was enormous. The importance of the consideration was also increased by the hope expressed in the president’s first report that it would be found practicable to substitute on the canal steam for animal labor, and render it the cheapest and most agreeable as it was to be obviously the shortest channel of inter¬ course between the Eastern and the Western States. “Boats of elevated cabins and double decks, propelled by steam, will counteract, by a velocity of seven or eight miles an hour, the tran¬ sient suspension of their motion by the locks; and by' supplying the wants of every description of passengers, will afford at the same time, cheap accommodation to the needy and multiplied en¬ joyments to the rich.” It seems strange that it did not occur to General Mercer that a speed of seven or eight miles an hour would have washed away his banks in a very short time. But the idea of steam was not abandoned for many years. In 1842 the subject was agitated but this time with reference to the transportation of coal. A gentle¬ man interested in the coal mines addressed an in- 210 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD quiry to the celebrated Erricson who died in March 1889; the inventor of the steam propeller and who played so important a part in history as the inventor of the turrit ironclad monitors. Mr. Erricson proposed to have a steamer, the machin¬ ery of which would weigh seven tons, tow a barge, the steamer and the barge each to carry a hundred tons of coal. He put the cost of the two boats at $4,000, and the cost of transportation forty- six cents per ton to which should be added ninety- four cents for canal tolls and thirty-five cents for transhipment at Georgetown and for contingencies. But the scheme of running fast passenger boats involved a freedom from uio much delay at bridges, for this reason and on the score of economy, every effort was made to avoid the building of bridges. Where the canal cut a man’s land in two, it im¬ posed upon the company the obligation to bridge it. Whenever it was practicable and cost but little more than the construction of the bridge the com¬ pany purchased the outlying land between the canal and the river. The greater part of these tracts were sold by virtue of the authority of the Legislature in 1842, and $25,938 received for them, mostly in the company’s script. It will be ■observed that in all the rose colored anticipations of making the canal a through passenger line, no account whatever was taken of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad whose construction began on the same day and which was, in fact to be its most formidable competitor. The people of Baltimore had quickly become jealous of the canal and dis¬ trustful of the construction of the Maryland canal which was to give it access to the main work, and determined to rely upon a transportation system of its own. But in the early days of the road it was mere¬ ly a bold experiment and it was not even settled that steam should be its motive power. The cars were drawn by horse# for some years and an exper¬ iment was even made with a car filled with sails to be propelled by wind. Under these circum¬ stances it is not to be wondered at that little ac¬ count was taken of the competing line, until it forced itself upon the attention of the canal peo¬ ple in a manner far from agreeable. Tire charter gave the canal the right to con¬ struct on either bank of the river. It elected the Marydand side, but at the Point of Rocks there was just room for the canal between the mountain and tile river. This space was speedily seized by the railroad company and the canal had to appeal to the courts. There was so great a delay and the termination so uncertain that the company had already sent its engineers to survey the Vir¬ ginia bank when the courts gave a final decision in favor of the canal. After this result was reach¬ ed and work on both canal and road had been greatly retarded, the railroad was willing to com¬ promise and the end of Catoctin mountain was tunnelled and the two went side by side as far as Harper’s Ferry, and the road then was to pass over the canal into Virginia. The early history of the construction ot Ine canal is full of interest. Subscriptions had been received to an amount which was deemed ample to complete the eastern section. It was a national work upon which the whole country was looking with interest. Money was plenty and the magnifi¬ cence and costliness of all the work done bear evi¬ dence of it, and the brightest anticipations for its future prosperity were entertained. The traffic with the great West was the central object. But about this time attention was directed to the Cum¬ berland coal fields and tests and comparisons were made with all other coal, and it was established by tests at the Navy Yard that a pound of Cum¬ berland coal was of smaller bulk and gave out more beat than any other known soft coal. In 1829 Mr. N. S. Roberts, one of the chief engineers, had gravely stated that the canal would pass through coal banks where coal could he thrown from life mines into the boats with a shovel. That at the Savage mines the vein was from ten to twenty feet in thickness, over one-fifth of the whole field of two hundred square miles. Each square mile of the Jug vein would supply five hundred tons of coal per day for four hundred years. The ra : l road, it was argued, was designed merely for pas¬ sengers and such light freight as we now send by express, and in an address to Congress about this time, the president of the Baltimore and Ohio road made this admission. Being the only carrier of this inexhaustible supply of the best, steaming coal in the world, not unnaturally made the canal people very well satisfied with the future. The first annoyance experienced was in the grasping- spirit of the owners of the land. Some few individuals were public spirited enough to prompt]v give the right of wav free of charge, hoping, by their example, to animate others to pur¬ sue the same course. But it was in vain. Expec¬ tations of large indemnities had been formed, and there was every disposition to exact from the com- Or WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 211 pany every possible penny. The result was that nearly the whole line had to be condemned. Prom Georgetown to the Point of Rocks thirteen hun¬ dred acres of land were required, and for this the company had to pay a heavy sum. There was con¬ siderable delay in actually beginning the work af¬ ter John Quincy Adams had driven his “sacred emblem” into the bosom of mother earth. But when work did begin a large amount of it was put under contract in sections of about half a mile each. One hundred and twenty of these sections constituted a Division and one-sixth of a Divis¬ ion a Residency. To each Division was allotted an engineer of high reputation, and an Inspector of Masonry. To each Residency there was an as¬ sistant, a rodman and such volunteers as were in training for the work as it progressed further west. These last were a body of supernumerary youths taken on for their maintenance. The employees were all under strict discipline, and a system of rewards for skill and diligence was instituted. It was absolutely required that the work should be uniform and of the best character. Especial pains were taken to secure good cement for use in con¬ structing the locks and aqueducts. Competent gentlemen were sent to inquire about that used upon other work of similar character, much of which was at that time in progress in the United States. After careful examinations and chemical and practical tests the cement obtained near Shep- herdstown was adopted, and the wisdom of their selection is justified in the character of the mason¬ ry upon which it was used, after a lapse of fifty years. In 1838, when the work had progressed much further west than Shepherdstown, another cement equally good and more convenient was found at Hancock, and the Round Top Cement Quarries were opened by A. B. McFarland. The bright days of the canal were soon over and the bright prospects and anticipations were overclouded by gathering gloom. The original es¬ timated cost of the work to Cumberland was $2,- 750,000, and it is supposed that if the dimensions first proposed had been adopted that estimate would not have been far out of the way. But when the United States Government and the States of Virgina, Ohio and Pennsylvania and ■the District cities manifested so great an interest, the Board of Directors felt themselves justified in adopting the larger dimensions recommended by Congress, which accompanied the recommendation with a subscription to the capital stock of one mil¬ lion dollars. After these dimensions had been adopted, involving an enormous increase in the construction, the available funds only completed the work to a short distance above Harper’s Ferry. Virginia, the original suggester of the work, grew indilferent, and after making a subscription of $170,000, entirely withdrew her support, impress¬ ing the management with the belief that she de¬ sired the benefits of the work and wished others to pay for it. It then became apparent that no fur¬ ther aid need be expected from the United States. Pennsylvania and Ohio disappointed the expec¬ tations their previous interest had raised and the whole burden fell on the State of Maryland, at that time ill able to sustain it. Then, too,the people of Baltimore had become suspicious of the scheme and having little faith in the extension of the canal from Washington to Baltimore, they fear¬ ed that the canal, if completed, would inure more to the advantage of Washington than to the-Me¬ tropolis of Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad was therefore chartered to foster the spe¬ cial trade of Baltimore and the interest of the State, instead of being concentrated on the canal was divided between the rival works. Litigation for right of way along the Potomac from the Point of Rocks to Harper’s Ferry followed and both works were delayed and injured. The interest of other portions of the State were centered upon projected works of internal improvement of local benefit to themselves, and the only counties which were not either lukewarm or hostile to the canal were those of Western Maryland through which it was to pass. It had not been even suggested up to this time, that the railroad would be of much import¬ ance in the transportation of coal and so the people of Allegany believed that they would have to look to the completion of the canal for the development of the mining interest. They therefore, after the original subscriptions had been expended, urged another convention to be held in Baltimore for the purpose of considering and adopting such measures as should seem most likely to cause the canal to be soon finished and such other works of national character to be undertaken as may advance the welfare of Maryland and her sister states. Tn re¬ sponse to this call a convention representing thirty counties and cities in all the states originally favor¬ ing the work met. This convention was of the opin¬ ion that the work should be completed but that the State of Maryland should do it. And Maryland 212 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD responded to the appeal and embarked upon that course of reckless appropriations for internal im¬ provements which in a few years brought the State to the very verge of repudiation and bank¬ ruptcy. Member^ <>!' the Legislature interested in one scheme would secure the votes of other mem¬ bers by voting for like appropriations for their portion of the St at#—a. system of trading and log rolling. An estimate was made that it would reejuire two millions of dollars to complete the work to Cumberland and the Legislature proceeded to provide means to raise this great sum along with a million for the Susquehanna railroad. Six per cent, bonds were ordered to be issued, to be sold at a premium of not less than fifteen per cent, and this premium was to begin a sinking fund for the redemption of; the bonds. At the time of this appropriation as has been shown, the work was completed above Harper’s Ferry. From Georgetown to the Point of Rocks, the level had been raised 217 feet by means of twenty-seven locks. In that portion of the canal there are fifty-nine culverts, and aqueducts over the Seneca and Monocacy—the former 111 and the latter 13.! feet in length, two dams. No. 1 at the head of the Little Falls 1,760 feet in length, and No. 2 at the Seneca, 2,500 feet in length. Be¬ tween the Point of Rocks and Dam No. 5 there are sixty culverts and three aqueducts; over the Catoc- tin, eighty feet in length, over the Antietam 103 feet long, over the Conococheague 196 feet in length, seventeen lift locks and two dams. Up to dam No. 5 an elevation of 353 feet is overcome. In addition to the lift locks there are several guard locks at the mouths of feeders and lift locks to introduce boats from the river. Above Dam No. 5 there is half a mile of slack water naviga¬ tion and a long slack water navigation at Dam No, 4. From Dam No. 5 a level of a mile and a half to Four Locks. Here the canal is extended across Prather's Neck, three-quarter’s of a mile, avoiding a five mile bend in the river. The level up to Loek 51, a mile and three-quarters below Han- eoek, is the longest on the canal. There is a seven mile level between Locks 52 and 53, and one of four and a half miles from No. 53 to Dam No. 6. The 27 1-2 miles between Dams No. 5 and No. 6 was opened to navigation in April, 1839. The whole of it lies in a beautiful and fertile country. Between Locks 46 and 47 the work was extremely difficult and expensive, the embankments of the canal being made in the river, which at that place was twenty feet deep. From Lock 5 for a mile and a half the canal, which is here 47 feet above the river, passes through limestone land, and many sink holes were encountered. At the upper end of the level, where the limstone and slate unite, a stop gate was made to be used in case of any serious leakage , into sink holes. Three and a half miles above Lock No. 50 and opposite Fort Frederick the canal passed through a piece of low, swampy land, which immediately filling up to the canal level, formed what is known as the “Big Pool,” a beauti¬ ful, sheet of wafer of an average width of seven hundred feet, abounding in fish and a favorite re¬ sort of water fowl. Stop gates are constructed above and below the pool so that when the canal is to be filled it will not be necessary to raise the level of this great sheet of water, which would be a work of considerable time. This fourteen mile level extends over several culverts and the aqueduct over Licking Creek, an arch of 90 feet span, which was the largest aqueduct arch which had then been constructed in the United States. The masonry of this aqueduct is composed entirely of rubble stone, with the exception of the arch, the inside of the parapet, the coping and the water table, which are of cut masonry. For two miles between Licking Creek and Hancock the canal and the National Pike lie side bv side, and for a half mile at Millstone Point the canal was dug in the roadway and the company had to make a new road at considerable expense. Near Lock 51, at the upper end of the 14-mile level, there is another pool about one-fourth as large as the Big Pool. This pool was formed by transferring the tow- path to an island. About 200 feet above Lock 52 is aqueduct No. 7. consisting of a single beautiful arch passing over the Big Tonoloway. Near Han¬ cock the work was done at large expense, the canal being constructed partly in the river and partly in Verv open slate rock excavation. Immediately upon the opening of the canal to Hancock that town exhibited marks of grerat improvement. It was here that the i messengers passing from the west in the stages caught their first glimpse of this, renowned work. The canal, it was said afforded great facilities for reaching the town of Rath, only six miles' from Hancock, and would, it was believed, “give additional interest and advan¬ tages to that attractive place.” Between Locks 52 and 53 there is a seven-mile level. At the waste yryir on this level it was reported to the directors in 1S36 that “there has been erected a OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 213 cement mill between the towpath and the river. The cement is procured from the precipitous cliff on the berm side of the canal, where it is found in very large quantities, and the quality is very superior. The immediate object of the construc¬ tion of this mill has been to supply the canal works between Dam No. 6 and the tunnel with the neces¬ sary cement; but it may be advantageously em¬ ployed, after the completion of the canal to Cumberland for the general supply of that val¬ uable article. This mill is situated at the com¬ mencement of the very heavy work at Round Hill, which reaches about a mile.” This mill is the same long owned and operated by Bridges & Hen¬ derson, and the Round Top Cement enjoys a rep¬ utation which is greatly increased since that day. The next point of interest is Dam No. 6, 475 feet in length and with a face of sixteen feet. This splendid dam was constructed upon a differ¬ ent plan from the others and several improve¬ ments were introduced which had been suggested by experience. At Dam No. 6, 135 miles from Georgetown and 50 miles from Cumberland, was for a number of years the terminus of the canal although much work had been done in sections upon the last fifty miles. Sideling Hill Creek is crossed by aqueduct No. 8, fifty feet wide. For two miles above there are heavy embankments and expensive rock excavations. Between locks 61 and 62 is Dam No. 7. It was proposed at one time to construct the locks in the upper end of the canal of timber, and experiments were made in pre¬ venting the decay of timber by the use of corrosive sublimate. Between lock 66 and the lower end of the tunnel there is a deep cut through the slate rock for 2,400 feet. This cutting at one place is 79 feet in depth. The tunnel is 3,118 feet or three-fifths of a mile in length, 24 feet wide, of which the tow-path occupies 5 feet, a depth of 7 feet of water and an elevation above the water of 17 feet and above a brick arch of 18 inches depth. The work at this point is of great magni¬ tude and upon a magnificent plan. By cutting through the mountain a bend in the river is avoid¬ ed and a saving in distance of five miles is effected. From here on to the basin at Cumber¬ land the canal proceeds over one acqueduet and several locks. The basin itself is an enlargement of the canal to 100 feet for convenience in the re¬ ception of coal. The canal is 1841-2 miles long. Of this length 5 miles are in the District of Columbia, 36 1-2 miles in Montgomery County; 16 miles m Frederick County; 77 miles in Washington Coun¬ ty; 50 miles in Allegany County. The level at Cumberland is 609 feet above that at Georgetown. This elevation is attained by 74 locks. The canal is fed from the river by means of seven dams and the capacity was estimated at 3,264,000 tons a year. This maximum however has never been reached, the greatest amount carried in one year being about nine hundred thousand tons. Subscriptions 1 to the capital stock of the canal were as follows: By the United States, $1,000,- 000; the State of Virginia, $250,000; the city of Washington, $1,000,000; the city of Georgetown, $250,000; Alexandria, $250,000; the town of Shep- herdstown, $2,000; individuals, $607,400; the State of Maryland under the act of March 6, 1828, $500,000; under chap. 239, 1833, $125,000; under chap. 395, 1835 preferred stock, $3,000,000; under chap. 396, 1838, preferred stock, $1,375,000 —total for the State of Maryland, $5,000,000; grand total $8,359,400. In addition to this cap¬ ital stock which was paid for in cash was $269,- 073.96 subscribed and paid for in the debts and stock of the old Potomac Company. This stock was to be entitled to dividends only after the net profits of the canal should exceed a dividend of 10 per cent, upon the other stock. In addition to this capital stock the company up to October 1, 1843 had incurred debts to the amount, includ¬ ing interest of $1,174,566.31. This did not in¬ clude a debt of $3,000,000 to the State of Mary¬ land under the act of 1834, chap. 241. After the expenditure of the original subscrip¬ tion the subsequent history of the construction of the canal was a struggle for ways and means and the soliciting additional assistance from the State and the pacification of clamorous creditors. Sev¬ eral riots occurred among the laborers, and in one case there was some difficulty in securing order. The craze for public improvements had so taken possession of the State that no demand for money was deemed extravagant. The reckless issue of bonds which brought the State to the verge of bankruptcy and repudiation belongs rather to the history of the State. The first demand from the Canal Company after its resources were gone was responded to by a loan of $2,000,000 to be secured by a lien upon the revenues of the canal. After this sum had been spent an application was made to the legislature in 1835 for more money, and this time the eight million loan was 214 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD issued, three millions of which was to go to the canal and the remainder to be divided up among the other public works of internal improvement to which the State had subscribed. The law under which this loan was made required that the bonds should not be sold for less than twenty per cent, premium. This it was speedily found was impos¬ sible, and so the loan was changed to a five per cent, sterling loan and the three millions of bonds handed over to the canal. After much negotiation and difficulty these bonds were sold in London at a great sacrifice, some as low as seventy-six cents on the dollar. The money secured in this man¬ ner, together with the issue of a large amount of script, completed the canal to Dam Xo. 6, fifty miles from Cumberland and thirty-one miles of the remainder in unconnected portions, completed. This latter work cost $2,892,000, and it looked for some time as if this would have to be abandoned for lack of funds to complete it. At a meeting of the stockholders held in Frederick, August 17, 1843, General Win. Gibbs McNeill, the President of the company, was re¬ moved for a contract he had made with Letson and Rutter in contravention, it was said, of the orders of the Board of Directors, and the contract de¬ clared null and void. All this was done by the vete of the State of Marjdand, the other stockhold¬ ers voting “no.” On the same day Col. James M. Coale was elected to-fill the vacancy. Mr. Coale immediately opened negotiations with the Balti¬ more and Ohio Railroad, which had then been completed to Cumberland, to act as the connecting link between the terminus of the canal and Cum¬ berland. An arrangement was mode with the road to land coal at Dam No. 6, charging two cents per ton per mile, “so long as it shall not interfere with their general trade nor require a material augmen¬ tation of their machinery.” The theory was at once started that it was unnecessary to complete the canal to Cumberland, as the railroad could be used to advantage to provide traffic. It was to combat this theory as well as to show how the canal could be completed, that Mr. C'oale made his exhaustive report to the stockholders November 16, 1843. Ho showed the great quantity and fino quality of the Cumberland coal, and argued that the demand for it would increase to the full ex¬ tent of the capacity of the canal, and that in this traffic the railroad would not be a competitor, for railroads were designed for passengers and light freight when speed was an especial requirement. That a car could contain but five tons of coal, and although the company was then contemplat¬ ing an increase in the capacity of the cars to six tons, even at that rate, in order to deliver to the canal a sufficient quantity to insure a revenue which would pay the State any interest on the investment, would require 289 cars to be run daily, and as the distance was forty-five miles but one trip per day could be made and hence it would re¬ quire 578 cars, and supposing 13 cars to be drawn by a locomotive, there would have to be twenty-two trains running daily. Clearly the railroad could not support the coal trade to this extent. At this time the whole State was groaning under the burden which had already been assumed to advance internal improvements, and the neces¬ sity of imposing a State tax of twenty cents on the hundred dollars drove many persons to advocate repudiation of the entire debt. It was useless, therefore, to ask for any further aid out of the State treasury, and so Mr. Coale’s plan was to get the State to waive its lien on the receipts of the canal in favor of an issue of bonds by the canal company sufficient to complete the work to-Cum¬ berland. After considerable time the Legislature was convinced that the State’s lien upon the net revenue, as matters then stood, was worthless, for - there would never be any net revenue as long as the canal stopped short of Cumberland. The lien was consequently waived by an Act of Assembly passed in 1845—the Legislature of Virginia hav¬ ing passed an act the previous year conferring the same authority and extending the time for the completion of the canal, which had expired in 1840, to 1835. The Maryland Act of Assembly, entitled “An Act to provide for the completion of the Chesa¬ peake and Ohio Canal to Cumberland and for other purposes,” passed March 10, 1845, authoriz¬ ed the canal company to issue bonds to raise suffic¬ ient money to complete the canal to Cumberland not to exceed $1,700,000. which bonds should be payable in not sooner than thirty-five years and should be a preferred lien on the revenues of the company, and the rights and liens of the State upon the revenues of the company should be post¬ poned in favor of the bonds so issued. It was aiso enacted that the company should execute to the State a further mortgage, subject to the priority already mentioned in the act, as an additional security for the payment of the loan made by Chapter 241 of the Acts of 1834. These acts OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 215 were accepted by the company at a stockholders’ meeting April 29, 1845. But the act contained a proviso that none of the bonds should issue until mining companies of Allegany should enter into a contract with the canal, to be approved by the State, guaranteeing a transportation over the entire length of the canal of not less than 195,000 tons of coal per year for five years. The difficulty of obtaining this guar¬ antee occasioned another vexatious delay which was all the more annoying that just 'at this time the Baltimore & Ohio railroad Iregan to act, as the canal claimed^ in bad faith about their con¬ tract. It was felt and the mining companies so said, that if they^refused to give the guaranties the Legislature would repeal the requirement. But the persistent energy to Mr. Coale overcame, all obstacles ‘ and by December the guaranties were gotten from a great number of parties including a guaranty of 20,000 tons per year from 122 citi¬ zens of Washington County. Under the require¬ ments of the act the bonds could not be sold for less than par, and this was found impossible, there¬ fore, the company made a contract with Messrs. Guynn, Thompson, Hunter and Cunningham to complete the work and to receive in payment $1,- 625,000 of the bonds, bearing six per cent, inter¬ est but the contractors were, in addition to doing the work for these bonds to pay the company $100,- 000 in cash and oblige themselves to pay interest on the bonds until the entire canal should be opened, amounting to $90,000, leaving $1,435,000 as the actual amount they received and that pay¬ able in bonds. It was not until October 1847, that the contractors were able to place any of the bonds and in the meantime work had languished and had been actually suspended for a few days, and two of the contractors, Messrs. Guynn and Thompson withdrew, and Mr. Thomas G. Harris, of Washington County became associated wit Jr' the remaining two, Wm. B. Thompson, of George¬ town and James Hunter, of Virginia. These con¬ tractors became bankrupt and the contract was taken in July 1850, by Michael Byrne, of Freder¬ ick County, and by him completed—the entire cost of the work from Washington to Cumberland being $11,071,176 or $59,618 per mile. At 5 o’clock p. m., June 11, 1850, the gates at Cumberland were opened by Charles B. Fish, the chief engineer of the company, and water ad¬ mitted into the western level of the canal and a new boat named the “Cumberland” floated in. A great concourse of people was present Jo witness the ceremonies. On the 10th of the following October the completion of the*canal was celebrated at Cumberland with elaborate ceremonies. The president at that time was James M. Coale; John Pickell, Wm. C. Johnson, Wm. A. Bradley, George Schley and H, P. Smith were directors. The State Government was represented by its agents, Gov. Sprigg, J. Van Lear and Gen. Tench Tilgh- man, Senator Wm. D. Merrick, the Mayor of Georgetown and other prominent gentlemen were present. A long procession marched through the streets to the canal locks where there was a great gathering. “Five canal boats, laden with the rich product of the mines of Allegany and des¬ tined for the eastern markets, were passed through the locks amidst the salvos of artillery from the Eekhart Company, accompanied by the brilliant performances of the bands.”* Mr. William Price mounted the deck of one of the boats and in behalf of the mayor and council of Cumberland welcomed the visitors to the city. In the course of his remarks he said that “The opening of yonder gates to let through the first boat carrying freight from Cumberland to tide water, signalizes a happy epoch in the financial condition of the State. It is the turn¬ ing point in the history of the canal, and marks the precious moment of time when this great work ceases forever to be a burden upon the tax payers of Maryland and begins to reimburse those who have so long and so patiently borne the charge of its construction.” This hopeful view of the situation, whilst less ambitious than the predictions of President Adams made when ground was broken two and twenty years before, have been unhappily, almost equally far from realization. President Coale responded to this address in a carefully prepared speech in which he reviewed the past efforts and struggle of his work and set forth what might be hoped for in the future which even included the original design of reaching the Ohio river. The party then embarked and went down the canal ten miles to a large spring and there enjoyed a collation which had been prepared by the company. In the eve¬ ning a dinner was given by the citizens of Cum¬ berland and the day’s festivities closed with a ball. Of the $S,359,400 of the capital stock of the canal, $133,209.61 was not paid in. The State of Maryland owned $5,000,000 of the stock, which was a large majority of the whole, and gave the 216 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD State entire control of the company. This stock was voted by the Board of Public Works, which ap¬ pointed the President and Directors. The State was, therefore alone responsible for the man¬ agement and mismanagement of the work from the beginning down to 1890. In 1842 the Legisla¬ ture passed an act authorizing the sale of the State's interest for five millions of dollars, but a purchaser could not be found. At the close of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, 1888, in addition to the five millions of stock, the State held canal bonds for the two millions loaned and there was due the State an accumulation of interest amounting to $19,177,- 460.77. By the Constitution of 1867, the Legisla¬ ture was prohibited from selling the State’s interest in the canal unless the bill to that effect is approv¬ ed by the succeeding Legislature. A complete list of the presidents of the com¬ pany is as follows: Charles F. Mercer, from 1828 to 1832; John H. Eaton for 1833; George C. Washington, from 1S34 to 1838; Francis Thomas, for 1839 and 1840; Michael C. Sprigg, for 1841; W. Gibbs McNeill, for 1842; James M. Cole, from 1843 to 1851; William Grason, for 1852 and 1853 ; Samuel Hambleton, for 1854 and 1855; William P. Maulsbv, for 1856 and 1857; Lawrence J. Brengle, for 1858 and 1859; James Fitzpatrick, for 1860; Alfred Spates, from 1861 to 1864; Jacob Snively, for 1865 and 1866; Alfred Spates, for 1867 and 1868; Josiah H. Gordon, for 1869; James C. Clarke, for 1870 and 1871; Arthur P. Gorman, from 1872 to 1882; Lewis C‘. Smith, for 1883 and 1884; L. Victor Baughman, for 1885 and 1886; Stephen Gam brill, from 1886 to 1890. During the war the canal under the Presi¬ dency of Col. Alfred Spates performed efficient service for the Government in the transportation of supplies. In April 1862, Adjutant General Thomas issued a general order that all officers of the army should respect Mr. Spates as President of the canal, and prohibiting them from interfer¬ ing with him in the management of the work, but should aid and assist him in keeping it in repair and removing obstructions and removing all ob¬ structions and interference with boats passing through the Lines. Several attempts by the Con¬ federates to destroy aqueducts were foiled by the magnificent character of the masonry. During the presidency of James C. Clark, and the first few years of that of A. P. Gorman, his successor, the canal was very prosperous, the revenues reach¬ ing almost a million of dollars a year. In 1869 the sum of $160,000 had accumulated in the treasury of the company. This was the first rime within the history of the company that receipts had exceeded expenditures and the question arose, how the money should be distributed among the contending claimants who held the securities of the work. The Commonwealth of Virginia brought suit to establish her claim to certain priorities and the Legislature of Maryland passed an act sub¬ mitting her rights to the decision of the court with the rest. In the case The Commonwealth of Virginia vs. the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company ei. al. 32 lid., the whole financial his¬ tory of the canal is reviewed and the rights of each class of claimants settled. By the act of 1834, ch. 24, the State of Mary¬ land loaned the canal two millions of dollars and took as security, for the principal and six per cent, interest, a mortgage of all its lands, tenements, works, property, rights, net tolls and revenues. This was the first lien upon the canal. By the act of 1835, ch. 395, the State sub¬ scribed three millions additional to the capital stock of the company, and by chap. 396 of the laws of 1838, $1,375,000. As a condition to these subscriptions a guaranty, after the expiration of three years, was exacted from the company, of a dividend of six per c-cnt. semi-annually out of the profits of the company. This guaranty was duly executed, and in payment of this subscription of the capital stock amounting to $4,375,000, the State issued her bonds to the company. As a fur¬ ther condition the company was to pay the inter¬ est on these bonds for the three years ending July 1, 1842. It failed to meet this engagement, and was compelled, by the act of 1838, chapters 386 and 396, to execute mortgages to the State upon its property and revenues to the amount of $663,- 011.94, the interest upon the sterling loan which the State had to pay by reason of the default of the canal. This constituted the second lien upon the In 1841 the canal had been constructed to Dam No. 6, fifty miles from Cumberland. Its re¬ sources were exhausted and its credit gone, and it remained m this crippled and almost useless condition until 1845. On the 10th of March, 1845, the act of 1844, chap. 281, became a law. Previously to this the canal had no express authority to borrow money. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 217 None had been conferred upon it by its charter. But this act authorized the company to borrow upon its bonds such sums, not exceeding $1,100,- 000, as might be required to complete the canal to Cumberland. These bonds were to be payable in not less than thirty-five years and to bear six per cent, interest payable in January and July, and to be preferred liens on the revenues and toils of the company from the entire length of the ca¬ nal, which tolls and revenues were pledged and appropriated for their payment, principal and in¬ terest. The State waived and postponed her prior rights and liens upon the revenues of the company m favor of these bonds “so as to make them and the interest to accrue upon them preferred and absolute liens on said revenues, until the bonds and interest should be fully paid.” The second section of the act gave authority to use a sufficient portion of the revenues to pay expenses and repairs and provide an adequate quantity of water. In 1848 the company issued these “Preferred bonds” to the amount of $1,699,500 and executed a mortgage upon the tolls and revenues to Phineas Janney, W. W. Corcoran, Horatio Allen, David Ilenshaw and George Moray, trustees, to secure the bonds. The canal company, on the 8th of January, 1846, as required by the act of 1844, executed a new mortgage to the State, securing the two mil¬ lion loan of 1834. In 1847 the State of Virginia guaranteed the payment of $300,000 of the preferred bonds. The interest was paid on this amount by Virginia for about ten years and she claimed to be reimbursed, but the court decided that this could not be done until all the overdue unpaid coupons were paid, and then the principal of the bonds, after which the coupons paid by Virginia could be repaid to her. But Virginia was guarantor of another set of bonds After the completion of the canal from Dam No. 6 to Cumberland the Georgetown end absolutely needed repairs; there was not enough revenue to pay expenses and the preferred bonds was dedicated to the construction of the Western end. In this emergency application was made to the Legislature of Virginia for a loan of $200,000. In response that State agreed to endorse the bonds of the company to that amount provided her Board of Public Works should certify that the State would run no risk, or that the bonds were “suffic¬ iently secured.’' 1 The question whether the com¬ pany had the power to issue such bonds and to make them sunoriox to the “Preferred Bonds,” having arisen, Gov. Thomas called for the opinion of Attorney General George R. Richardson, who submitted his written opinion that such a power existed. Upon this Virginia endorsed the bonds and they were sold at a premium. These bonds were known as the “Repair Bonds.” These repair bonds, according to the decision of the Court of Appeals, take precedence over the Preferred Bonds. The court, referring to them, used this language: “In answer to this (the ar¬ gument that nothing should or could take prece¬ dence over the Preferred Bonds) it may well be retorted, of what value would these Preferred JfandS now be, or will they be hereafter, if the power to raise money by loan on the pledges of its revenues for the purpose of repair does not exist in this company?” It was decided the company had the power to issue these bonds under its amended charter, chapter 124, of the act of 1843, and in the last proviso to the second section of the act of 1844, cl). 281. The company, being in default on the cou¬ pons of the preferred bonds falling due July 1, 1851 and January 1, 1852, made an arrangement with Selden, Withers & Co., bankers, of Wash¬ ington, who took up these coupons amounting to $143,000. The company afterwards issued to the firm interest bearing certificates of debt to the amount of $140,000. These certificates were transferred to the State of Virginia along with the coupons represented by them. It was con¬ tended that these certificates in some sort of way, under the agreement with the company, enjoyed a precedence over other liens, but the Court of Ap¬ peals decided that the agreement was simply to borrow money from Selden, Withers & Co., and with that money so borrowed the coupons had been paid and extinguished. Another class of claims against the canal were the creditors of the old Potomac Company, which assigned its charter to the canal company August 15, 1828, in consideration of the payment of their debts by the latter company, amounting, as was supposed, to $175,800. In 1836, certain of the Potomac Company stockholders, who refused to invest in the canal, surrendered their claims against the former, receiving in lieu thereof, canal certificates of debt for one-half of the amount of their claims. The interest on these certificates 218 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD lias not been paid since January 1 , 1841. Under the act of 1814 these creditors have a lien upon the tolls and revenues of the canal to the extent of $.'>,000 a year, in preference to the claims of the State, but subsequent to the preferred and repair bonds. Another class of securities appeared in 1878. In 1877 there was a flood, which inflicted very heavy damage upon the canal, far beyond the abil¬ ity of the company to repair. To meet this the Legislature of 1878 passed a law to “make effec¬ tual the act of 1844,” and authorizing the issuing of $500,000 of bonds “for the purpose of putting and keeping the said Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and its work in good condition and repair, for the payment of the current expenses of the canal,” : &e. To secure these bonds, as provided by the act, the company executed a mortgage to Geo. S. Brown, Jas. Sloan, Jr., and Lloyd Lowndes, Jr., upon “the revenues and other property, land, water rights and franchises.” The trustees are author¬ ized in case of a default in the payment of three successive semi-annual coupons, upon an applica¬ tion in writing of the holders of a majority of the bonds, to proceed to foreclose the mortgage or to apply to the courts for the appointnment of a receiver. The bonds of 1878 were by virtue of this act, to take precedence of the State's mort¬ gages. With the money obtained from the sale of these bonds the canal was restored and business resumed, but in a greatly reduced volume. In 1889 the great flood occurred, which cre¬ ated havoc throughout many States. At Johns¬ town, Pa., there was appalling loss of life and property. In this flood the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was almost demolished. Being hopelessly insolvent, the company was without means to make repairs, or even to arrest the decay of disuse. Under these conditions, in December 1889, a bill was filed in the equity side of the Circuit Court for Washington County by the trustees of the bondholders of 1844, asking for the appointment of a receiver, to take charge of the property and to repair and operate it. The Canal Company answered, protesting against the appointment of a receiver,and asking for the immediate sale of the property. The At¬ torney General of Maryland, under authority of joint resolutions passed by the Legislature, also filed an answer resisting the appointment of re¬ ceivers, and asking for a sale of the property. On January 15, 1890, the trustees under the mort¬ gage of 1878 filed a bill for the foreclosure of their mortgage and a sale of the canal. The cases were consolidated, and on March 3, 1890, Chief Justice JsJtey appointed three receivers to make an exam¬ ination of the canal and report its condition, along with the prospMtS o£ future business, in case the canal should be repaired. These receivers were Richard D. Johnson of Cumberland, Roiieit Bridges of Washington County, and Joseph D. Baker, of Frederick. They subsequently reported to the court that the promise of business did not in their judgment justify the cost of repairs, and they therefore recommended the sale of the prop¬ erty. For a number of years before this, after the business of the canal had dwindled down to a small volume, there had been efforts by various railroad companies to get possession of the great work, in order that the tow path might be used for the bed of a railroad. The West A’irginia Cen¬ tral and Pittsburg Company and the Western Maryland had both tried to get it, and a company had been chartered for the express purpose of building a road along the canal from Georgetown to Cumberland. After the report of the trustees it was believed at last that the defunct canal would be replaced by a live railroad. But these expectations were doomed to disappointment. In August, 1890, the Attorney General, Mr. John P. Poe, amended his answer in behalf of the State by inserting a par¬ agraph asking for “the sale of the canal and all the franchises and property of the Canal Company as described in the three mortgages from the Ca¬ nal Company to the State of Maryland, the first dated April 23, 1835, the second May 15, 1839, and the third January 8, 1846.” Thereupon the trustees for the bondholders of 1844, men closely identified with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, asked for the possession of the canal under the mortgage of 1848, to restore and operate it. This was done upon the theory that the mort¬ gage of the 18 44 bondholders was only on the rev¬ enues, and if the canal was sold, their security would be gone. Thereupon Judge Ahoy, on Octo¬ ber 2, 1890, passed a decree for the sale of the canal but provided that the sale should be sus¬ pended for four years from May 1, 1891 upon cer¬ tain conditions. In that time the trustees for the bondholders of 1844 were to have possession of the canal, to repair it at their own cost and then to operate it. This was done, and the canal was re- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 219 stored to a better condition than ever before. But the traffic on it has been small compared with that of former years. Judge Edward Stake, in the Circuit Court for Washington County, granted an extension of time for the operation by these trus¬ tees for six years from May 1, 1895. Again in 1901 the time.was extended, this time to January 1, 1906. On Nov. 29, 1904, Mr. F. S. Landstreet, on behalf of the Western Maryland Railroad Com¬ pany bid $155,000 for the State’s interests and the Board of Public Works accepted his offer. And thus the State’s interest in this great work of internal improvement ceased. The canal was worth to the State all it cost, because it developed the great coal mining industry of Allegany County. But as a national thoroughfare, for which it was designed, it was a bitter disappointment to its projectors. CHAPTER XV t AKLY in the spring of 1832 the news‘went abroad over the country that Asiatic cholera, then but little known in this County, had appeared in Montreal. A vague alarm was felt which was increased among the timid and superstitious by the an¬ nouncement in June, of the expected appearance of Halley’s great comet. Men looked forward with absolute dread to the expected appearance of its baleful light, connecting it, as it has always been, with approaching disaster. In Juhe the Governor of the State issued his proclamation, setting apart the approaching Independence Day for religious observance, not only in thanking God for the political liberty we enjoy, but to offer pray¬ ers for its continuance and also that he would graciously arrest or mitigate the threatened dread¬ ful visitation. Clergymen were requested to read the proclamation from their pulpits. Towards the last of the month, Henry Clay offered a resolu¬ tion in the Senate of the United States, asking the President to appoint a day to be observed as a day of general humiliation and prayer to Al¬ mighty Gocl that he might in his mercy, “avert from our country the Asiatic scourge, which is now traversing and devastating other countries. And should it be among the dispensations of his Providence to inflict this scourge upon our land, may it please Him, in His mercy, so to ameliorate the infliction as to render its effects less disas¬ trous among us.” July 4th, that year, was the quietest up to that time in the history of the County. The desire to drink toasts was not en¬ tirely suppressed, but in Hagerstown there w r as less toast drinking and less hilarity than ever be¬ fore. All business was suspended and a large concourse of people, including five hundred child¬ ren of the Beneficial Society and the. Sunday schools, gathered on Potomac street before the Market House, and marched in procession to the Lutheran Church to engage in religious exercises. Before this William D. Bell, the moderator of the town gave public notice that the cholera must shortly be expected to appear in the town, and that under Providence, cleanliness is the best pro¬ tection. He therefore exhorted all citizens to cleanse streets, alleys, gutters, cellars and vacant lots. Ward committees were appointed to inspect the town thoroughly and they soon reported that the town was clean. It was probably due to this intelligent action of the moderator, that Hagers¬ town escaped so lightly compared with other towns similarly situated. Meanwhile the epidemic was approaching, nearer and nearer. In July it was raging in the great city of New York. Deaths were occurring at the rate of from seventy-five to a hundred and fifty a day. It was estimated that not less than a hundred thousand people had left the city and fled for safety. Thirty thousand of these had departed in a single day. The malady came on with fearful suddenness and often had an equally sudden termination. The patient would feel an uneasiness of the bowels with great heat and intense thirst; then would follow a feeling of heaviness and weakness, an almost total suspension of the pulse with a low, weak and very plaintive voice; then the “rice water” discharge would take place, violent vomiting, oppression of the stom¬ ach and an impeded respiration. The circulation 222 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of the blood became exceedingly sluggish, the forehead, tongue and extremities became very cold. -Cramps occurred in the legs, toes and hands, the face of the patient became livid and cadaverous, and the body presented a motted appearance. These symptoms wflig quickly succeeded by the final stage, which was a complete collapse of the whole system, greatly resembling the appear¬ ance of death, which quickly succeeded. The patient sometimes died in a tranquil stupor and sometimes in violent spasms and in great distress. The different stages of the disease followed each other occasionally with such rapidity that death occurred in a few hours after the appearance of the first symptom- In New York it was reported that whole families had been wiped out within an incredibly short space of time. The most popular treatment at first was hot applications, mustard plasters, calomel and opium. With such accounts of the progress of the disease it is not surprising that the people were terror stricken, but from the first there appeared to be but little fear of con¬ tagion. Early in July, Dr. Howard Kennedy and Dr. Joseph Martin went on to New York to ob¬ serve the disease and its treatment in order to prepare themselves to contend with it. The first case in Baltimore occurred on Sun¬ day, August 5th, and before the next Sunday fifty persons had taken the disease, and twenty-two had died. One of the first to die in that city was a robust negro man who, for a wager, drank a quart of buttermilk and ate a watermelon. His death occurred a few hours after the wager was won. About the first day of September intelligence reached Hagerstown that the cholera had appeared within the limits of Washington County. Large numbers of Irish laborers were employed upon the line of the new canal opposite Harper’s Ferry and there is where the disease first appeared. The news that first came was distorted and exag¬ gerated by the terror of those who brought it. It was said that live or six dead bodies were lying in a single shanty at one time. The workmen were panic stricken and left their work and spread all over the country carrying terror and excite¬ ment with them. One of these flying men was stricken down and died four miles west of town on the last day of August. During the first week in September four dead bodies were brought from the line of the canal to Hagerstown for interment. They were Roman Catholics, and the graveyard in Hagerstown was the only burying ground they owned in the County. But the citizens protested against bringing the dead to Hagerstown. The town authorities forbade its continuance, and the Rev. Father Ryan, the Priest in charge of St. Mary’s Church, in co-operation with Mr. Cruger the chief engineer of the canal, took steps to pro¬ cure a burying ground near the canal. Mr. Cru¬ ger also promised to establish hospitals. The following week several deaths in Boons- boro’ and Kharpsburg and in the lower part of the County took place; one laboring man from the canal died in Hagerstown. Among those who died in Sharpsburg was Mr. John J. Russell. The public health of Hagerstown was reported excep¬ tionally good. The Board of Health, consisting of Frederick Dorsey, President, John Reynolds, Joseph Martin and Y. W. Randall, assured the people that cholera was not contagious and it was not probable great ravages would be committed. That if taken in time, not more than one case in a hundred would die. People were warned against imprudently eating fruit, certain vegetables and against dosing themselves with quack medicines and nostrums. In Williamsport there were two cases, one of which terminated fatally; and along the canal near that town twelve cases and six deaths were reported. IJp to September 2G, three citizens of Hagerstown and two strangers had died in the town. The Board of Health was very active, and the ladies of the sick society offered their services for the public good. The disease steadily increased. From Friday the 12th of October, to Thursday the 18th, there were seventeen deaths in Hagerstown and a num¬ ber in oilier parts of the county, mong those who died in Hagerstown were John Miller an old and pronrisH&f merchant. 'John Mcllhenny, William Moffett and Thomas Kennedy. The latter was one of the most distinguished citizens of tne County. He had filled many positions of honor and trust and had served many years in the Gen¬ eral Assembly as Delegate and Senator. As a number of the Legislature his career had been sig¬ nalized by his successful efforts to remove the po¬ litical disabilities of the .levs. At the time of his death he was fi tty-six years of age. a member elect of the Legislature, having been elected to fill a vacancy, and the Editor of The Mail. His son Dr. Howard Kennedy, remained to fill his place. The next, week a number of negroes died in the town and County. Van S. Brashears and Peter Newenjjjer died on the Manor and Vachtel W. Ran- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 223 dall, secretary of the Board of Health and a prom¬ ising member of the Bar, died in Hagerstown. The last week of October, Parker Blood the bookseller died after an illness of two weeks with cholera. Peter Bench and several servants a,nd canal labor¬ ers also died. Michael Wilson, of Westmoreland county, Pa., in passing through the town on the Western stage was taken with the disease and died at the Globe Tavern. In addition to these there were nine deaths in the poor house. Early in November, as the cold weather approached, the last vestiges of the cholera disappeared and people re¬ sumed their usual habits. As soon as cases began to multiply, a hospital had been built upon the hill near the present site of the Roman Catholic graveyard. Patients were conveyed to it and carefully nursed under the di¬ rect supervision of the Moderator himself who went m and out among the sick and dying without fear and without tiring. Among the patients in the hospital was a well known character, a public jester for the town, harmless and popular and im¬ moderate in the use of whiskey—Jack Wolgamott. Jack had reached the stage of collapse which usu¬ ally preceded death by a very few hours, and as Mr. Bell left the hospital for the night he took leave of Jack exacting, and telling him that he had but a short time to live. The nurse told him that Wolgamott was begging for a pint of whis¬ key so Mr. Bell ordered it for him, saying that he had as well be gratified as he would die any¬ how. So the whiskey was brought, and when Mr. Bell returned in the morning he found Jack, in¬ stead of being a corpse the most cheerful person about the place and nearly recovered from the disease. Among the last cases which occurred was that Mr. Bell himself, but it was a mild case and he soon recovered. The following year great fears were entertained of the reappearance of cholera. The town was again thoroughly cleaned—commit¬ tees of the leading citizens giving it their personal attention. In July it broke out among the labor¬ ers on the canal and ten died near Williamsport in one day. The bodies of most of these were brought to Hagerstown for interment. Many more died the following week and one of them came to Hag¬ erstown and died there. The alarm of cholera this year like the pre¬ vious year was heightened by a celestial phenome¬ non—the falling stars on the night of November 13th. It was a repetition of the shower o,f Novem¬ ber 12th, 1799. Passengers on the top of stages on the turnpike witnessed the magnificent spec¬ tacle. It appeared as if every star in the heavens was falling from its place and leaving a long trail of light behind. It continued from about four o’clock until day. People were filled with a strange fear. The stars appeared to shoot gener¬ ally from a point southeast of the zenith and showering in all directions. Some of them were brilliant enough to illuminate the whole heavens, and their tracks, it was fancifully said, hung like swords of fire over the earth. Ten or fifteen of these aerial weapons would be flashing upon the terrified people at once. The atmosphere was remarkably clear at the time. Mr. John A. Freaner was at that time mail carrier between Hagerstown and Hauver’s. When the meteoric shower occurred he was on the top of the mountain, and the horse he was riding, a famous little animal, became so frightened as to be unmanagable. Many canal laborers died a violent death during the winter of 1834, after the final disap¬ pearance of the cholera. Nearly all who were engaged on the canal excavations were Irishmen, but from different parts of Ireland. Some of them were from Cork and were called Corkonians, and the others were known as Fardowners or Longfords. Between these there was a continual and bitter strife. On Monday, January 20, 1834, news was re¬ ceived in Hagerstown of a disturbance among the canal workmen, and it was supposed that it was occasioned by non-payment of wages or a discharge of men. Two companies of the Hagers¬ town Volunteers marched over to Williamsport and there learned that the scene of action was several miles down the river and it was reported that hostilities had ceased and that although many were wounded no lives were lost. The next day the militia returned to Hagerstown bringing thirty-four prisoners who were committed to jail. The cause of the battle among the Irish had been that one of the Corkonians had beaten a Fardow- ner named John Irons, so brutally that he shortly died of his wounds. After the battle occasioned by this incident there was general demoralization among the workmen and but little work was done. The following Thursday a party of Corkonians committed excesses above Williamsport. A party from above attempted to come into Williamsport but were met on the aqueduct by those in the town and driven back. The citizens of Williams- 224 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD port took amis ancl put themselves in military order for the protection of the town. The next day a party of three hundred Fardowns, headed by intrepid leaders, approached Williamsport from below. They were armed with guns, clubs and helves. It was their intention, they said, to march to the upper dam and display their strength, but to do no violence unless attacked. Shortly after passing up over the aqueduct their numbers were swelled to six or seven hundred. In a field at the upper dam, they met three hundred Corkon- ians drawn up in line of battle upon til® crest of a hill and in possession of a considerable number of guns. They made the attack upon the larger party, and several volleys were exchanged and a number killed. The Corkonians then fell back before the superior face of the enemy and dispers¬ ed. But the viefois had tasted blood, and were not content with their victory. A merciless pur¬ suit took place, the fugitives were overtaken in the woods, and many were put to death. Five were found in one place with bullets through their heads, and wounded were scattered in every direc¬ tion. At 10 o'clock at night the victorious party returned through Williamsport and marched quiet¬ ly to their quarters below the town. The next day the Sheriff of the County, Col. William 11. Fitzhugh, arrived upon the scene in command of the two Hagerstown Companies of Volunteers and one of the leading rioters was arrested. Col. Jacob Wolf, Captain Isaac H. Allen, a school teacher immediately organized companies of militia for duty. The latter company was named the Williamsport Riflemen, W. McK. Keppler, S. >S. Cunningham and William Tow&Qtt were lieu¬ tenants. The Clearspring Riflemen, under Capt. Isaac Nesbitt were also on duty. But these forces were deemed insufficient for the emergency. An express was sent to Washington to ask for troops and deputations to the upper and the lower dams to bring the leaders of the two factions together and effect a reconciliation. About sunset on .Monday these deputations returned, each bring¬ ing deputies who had been appointed by their respective factions, with power to effect a settle¬ ment. They accordingly grit together at .Mr. Lvles’ tavern along with the magistrates and a mini her of gentlemen of the town, presided n\er bv Gen. Otho Williams. Gen. Williams, William D. Bell, Col. Dali and others, prepared a regular treaty of peace which the Irishmen signed and they were then admonished that if cither Mdo violated the agreement the citizens and the mili¬ tary would unite with the other faction and drive the offenders from the County. During Monday Gen. IVilliams brevetted Capt. Hollingsworth, Capt. Hollman and Capt. Allen. Captain Holl¬ ingsworth organized a troop of horse and each of the other captains enrolled a company of in¬ fantry, and the whole force was put under the command of Col. Dali. The next morning Gen. Williams received intelligence by an express mes¬ senger that a party of one hundred armed Corkon¬ ians had passed Harper’s Ferry, and were on their way up to reinforce their friends at Middlekauff’s dam. Col. Dali dispatched Captain Hollings¬ worth to meet this force at Holman’s dam. There they were made acquainted with the settlement which had been agreed upon, whereupon they sur¬ rendered their arms and returned to their work down the river. The forty prisoners in the Hag¬ erstown jail were then released upon their own recognizances. In the meantime Dr. Wharton, one of the delegates from Washington County, offered a res¬ olution asking the President of the United States to order out a sufficient number of troops to quell the riot at Williamsport. He read letters from citizens of Williamsport complaining that their lives and property were in danger and that the civil authorities had in vain endeavored to afford them protection. That the belligerent factions contained seven to eight hundred each, many of them armed with warlike weapons. Mr. Whar¬ ton’s resolution passed the House, but the Senate substituted one asking the Governor to call out the militia and this was agreed to. But later on application was made to the General Government and Company B., 1st Reg. TL S. Artillery was ordered from Fort McHenry, and remained along the canal for some time. On the fifth of March, the commander of this company. Captain M. A. Patrick, of Windsor. Yt, died at Williamsport. His successor in command of the troops was Col. Alexander D. Mackay. This officer was one of the unfortunate gentlemen who lost their lives in January is L, on the packet “Dolphin” as he was ni mule to join General Jessup in Florida. Another officer who died in this campaign was Lieut. John Francis Kennedy, the eldest son of Thomas Kennedy. Fie was at home on sick leave, hut as soon as hositilities commenced he rejoined his company. But the hardships of the service and the climate soon broke him down, and he was Old Orndorff Mill, Built in 1753—Oldest the County. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 227 ordered home. But he only reached Charleston, when he died, May 19, 1837, aged 31 years. He was buried at Fort Johnson. A curious case of mistaken identity occurred in 1834. In 1822 Jacob Iiine of Pleasant Valley was murdered by one Peter Dean, who made good his escape. In 1834, twelve years afterwards, J. D. Needy met with a man named William CJark, of Licking Creek, and being entirely satisfied that it was Peter Dean, laid information and caused his arrest. Clark protested his innocence and declared that he had recently removed from Har¬ ford County and many persons there knew him. His story was discredited but a letter was written to a man m Harford of .whom Clark had spoken. This man sent up a list of questions which were propounded to Clark and all of them wore correct¬ ly answered. Application was then made to Judge John Buchanan for a writ of habeas corpus. At the hearing witnesses from Harford verified Clark’s statement and he was discharged. There was much sympathy with him for the inconvenience and indignity to which he had been subjected and a purse of $130 was presented to him, Mr. Needy giving $50. In this year Pleasant Valley was laid off as the eighth district of the county. ' In July 1834, the severest hail storm ever known in the County took place. Hail stones meas¬ uring a foot in circumference and weighing a pound fell in different parts of the County and at Baker’s Cross Boads, so terrific was this bat¬ tery that a cow was killed by the hail stones. The following January the weather was pronounced to be the coldest ever experienced up to that time. The mercury fell twelve degrees below zero and in proof of the extreme rigor of the season a wild cat was driven by cold and hunger almost to Hag¬ erstown where it was killed. Since then the mer¬ cury has fallen much lower several times. Two more veterans of 1776 passed away about this time. In the Fall of 1834, Samuel Lynch, aged 84 years, and a year later George Miller, aged 80 years, who had served five years in the Revo¬ lutionary army. The former was buried by the Williamsport riflemen with military honors. In November 1834, the Williamsport Coloni¬ zation Society with John T. Towson, President, and William Van Lear and C. A. Warfield, vice- Presidents, was formed. The object of this so¬ ciety was the deportation of negroes to Liberia. This was a scheme in which many people about that time and for some years were deeply inter¬ ested and many slaves were emancipated and sent back to the original home of their race. On the third day of December 1834 an event occurred which marked the march of events and improvement with immense emphasis. The first train of railr.oad cars entered the limits of .the County. On that bay the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was declared open to Harper’s Ferry, and a passenger train left Baltimore each morn¬ ing at seven o’clock, arriving at Harper’s Ferry about three p. m. Freight trains were also run and rates announced. The freight on a barrel of flour to Baltimore was 33 cents, and 32 cents from Wever’s Mill. From Baltimore to Harper's Ferry the charge for carrying plaster of Paris was $2.40 a ton, on salt and salt fish 14.1-2 cents per hundred pounds and 22 1-2 cents for merchan¬ dize. As soon as these trains began to run it was proposed to construct a railroad from the Balti¬ more and Ohio to Hagerstown—a proposition which was not acted upon until a generation later. In 183G a company was formed in Williams¬ port to place two packet boats on the canal to ply between that town and Harper’s Ferry, where connection was made with Georgetown by a regu¬ lar line of Packets and with Baltimore by the railroad. A stage ran between Williamsport and Clearspring, and one to Hagerstown, where pas¬ sengers to the- W T est could take the regular stage, lines. On the same day, the fourth of July 1828, when President John Quincy Adams removed the first spade full of earth in the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal the venerable Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last survivor of the brave men who more than fifty years before had signed the Declaration, of Independence, placed in position, the first stone in the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The citizens of Baltimore had soon become jealous of the canal as being a feeder to the rival city of Washington ^rd distrustful, it has been said, of its ever reach¬ ing across the mountains to the Western waters. But we may well doubt whether any distrust was felt at that point. It is likely that if the East¬ ern terminus of the canal had been assured to Baltimore, it would hate been many years before a railroad would have been considered necessary. The undertaking at the time was a far sighted and bold move. In the case of the canal the grand expectations were doomed to disappointment whilst 228 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD the hopes and expectations of the projectors of the railroad fell far short of the reality. As only about three miles of the main stem of the Balti¬ more and Ohio road lie within the limits of Washington County, an extended account of that great enterprise docs not come within the limits contemplated by this work. But we are concern¬ ed in certain portions of its history. If the origi¬ nal design had been followed out about eighty miies of the road would have been in Washington County and a brief reference to the causes which brought about this change has already been made. The first division of the railroad was to have ended at Williamsport and several surveys were made of the routes to reach that village. A public meet¬ ing was held & the Court House in Hagerstown July 24, 1827 to take measures to facilitate the surveys for the road. Wm. Gabby was chairman and Win. D. Bell secretary, and a committee of two from each election district of the county was appointed to afford to engineers all the informa¬ tion and assistance in their power. In December of that year a party of engineers surveyed the route through Harman’s Gap to the Antietam and along that stream to some distance below Funks- town and thence to Williamsport. One survey was. made through Mechanicstown, Frederick county and through South Mountain by the Ger¬ mantown Gorge, the route afterwards selected by the Western Maryland railroad to reach the same point. But at that time it was believed that a locomotive could only he operated on a level track and some time after the cars had been drawn by steam, horses were kept to draw them up the heavy grade to Mt. Airy. It was therefore con¬ sidered essential to flank the mountains and go up the valley of the Potomac from the Point of Rocks. Agents were sent forward to negotiate with the land owners along the Potomac in Fred¬ erick and Washington counties for the right of way. As soon as this came to the knowledge of the C'anai Directors an injunction was sued out of the Court at Hagerstown restraining the road from occupying the land between the mountain and river upon the ground that this right of way had been granted to the canal as the successor to the rights of the old Potomac company and that the railroad could not come in until after the canal had selected its location. The injunction was issued by Judge T. Buchanan and he was se¬ verely criticised in the Baltimore papers for ex¬ ceeding his jurisdiction. The Judge was however amply vindicated. This controversy led to a pro¬ longed and famous litigation which was not finally decided for a number of years. In the Court of Appeals of Maryland it is one of the most famous cases and was argued for the railroad company by Daniel Webster and Reverdy Johnson. A re¬ port of this case occupies a half of the fourth volume of Gill and Johnson’s reports. The canal finally won the case however and then an agree¬ ment was entered into by which the railroad was permitted to go along side of the canal from the Point of Rocks to Harper’s Ferry and then to pass over the canal and river to the Virginia shore and to keep to that side of the river until within a short distance from Cumberland. There was not room enough between the mountain and river for the canal and railroad too and if Washington County had secured the railroad along her border the canal would have had to go to Virginia. About this time the representatives from Washington County in the Legislature permitted themselves to be persuaded into voting for a State subscrip¬ tion for three millions of dollars to the-road. A bill was introduced into the assembly in 1836 mak¬ ing a subscription by the State of three millions of dollars to the railroad and a like sum to the canal. The canal had already been completed all the way through the county and our people were not par¬ ticularly concerned about any further appropri¬ ations to it, so some special inducement had to be offered to secure the vote of the delegation and it was accordingly required of the company to construct the road through Boonsboro’ and Ha¬ gerstown and so on to Cumberland. If they failed to adopt this route the com¬ pany was to forfeit a million dollars to the State for the benefit of Washington County. The com¬ pany had not, for reasons already given, the remot¬ est intention of adopting this rule, and forthwith proceeded to adopt another. The County Com¬ missioners brought suit to enforce the penalty hut before judgment could be obtained the Legislature had hastily repealed the provision. The Court decided that this forfeiture was in the nature of a penalty and the Legislature had the power to remit it. The delay caused in completing the railroad by the canal litigation rendered a renewal of the company’s charter by the Legislature of Virginia necessary the time having expired in July 1838. Before the Legislature of that State would renew the charter, a law was passed requiring the com¬ pany to build the road through Martinsburg. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 229 This was not the only injury that the jealousy and hostility of the canal inflicted on the Balti¬ more and Ohio Company. While the construc¬ tion of the Branch road to Washington was pro¬ gressing, application was made to Congress for aid to build the line within the District of Colum¬ bia with the intention of terminating it at or near the General Postoffice. The Senate passed a bill appropriating $350,000 for this purpose but it failed in the House mainly through the unre¬ lenting hostility of the canal interests.* The admirable water power of the Potomac and the excellent facilities for transportation by rail to Baltimore, and by canal to Georgetown suggested to the enterprizing Casper W. Wever, the incorporation of the Weverton Manufacturing Company, which was done by Chapter 144 of the Acts of 1834 and amended in 1836. In 1835 the people of Hagerstown had be¬ come weary of the insufficient power of the town officers, and meetings were held to devise means for the better government of the town and for authority to enforce the ordinances of the Mayor and Council which were violated with impunity. Many of the people too began to see the mistake they had made in a former year in voting against free schools. The first move to retrieve this false step was a meeting held in Boonsboro in January 1835, over which David Brookhart presided. Res¬ olutions were passed and a County Convention to be held in Plagerstown on the 3rd of February was suggested. The contest for Congress in 1835, was between William Schley the Whig candidate and Frank Thomas the Democrat. The latter was elected carrying Washington County by a majority of 148. The Democratic candidates for the assembly, Messrs. Wharton, Newcomer, Brookhart and Fiery were elected over the Whig ticket, Jos. Weast, Elias Baker, John Horine and Isaac Nesbitt. In this campaign a discussion for the reform of the State Constitution took place; meetings were held and resolutions passed having that object in view, and out of that movement grew one of the most exciting episodes in the history of the State. The Maryland Senate consisted of fifteen members elected by forty electors who were chosen by the people. Twenty-four of these had to be in attendance in order to execute their duties. Of the forty, twenty-one were Whigs and nineteen *The Great Railway Celebration of 1857 by Wm. -Prescott Smith. were Democrats—neither party having a quorum. In Washington County the Van Buren or Dem¬ ocratic party had elected their electors Robert Wason and Charles Macgill over Andrew Kersh- ned and Peter Seibert by a vote of 1,826 to 1,661. The nineteen Van Buren electors held a meeting and determined that as they represented the coun¬ ties containing the great majority of the people of the State, it was unjust and oppressive to deprive them and their constituents of all representation in the Senate. They made overtures to the ma¬ jority who had met at Annapolis and declared that they would not qualify unless they were permitted to name eight of the fifteen Senators. The Whigs would not treat with them and the Democrats determined to absent themselves and block the wheels of Government until their terms were agreed to. This determination filled men’s minds with grave forebodings. Without a Senate'there could be no Legislature. Without a Legislature there could be no Governor or Council. Without a Governor and Council and Legislature there could be no State Government— no appointment of Justices of the Peace—no County Commissioners or Judges of the Orphans’ Court, no one to collect taxes or provide the ma¬ chinery of the Courts of Justice. In short it was believed that anarchy would result from the action of the nineteen recusants. For some years there had been a persistent effort going on to re¬ form the constitution and make the Governor, Senate and other offices eligible by the people, but the smaller counties had been able to foil the wishes of the more populous. So the nineteen let it be inferred that they would come to terms if a Senate would be elected favorable to this great reform. An address to the people of Washington County was issued setting forth the dangers which were thought to be impending—the dangers to property and person, to the pteace and happiness of society, to individual prosperity and public credit and to the magnificent works of improvement. •‘Who." it was asked, “is to stay the hand of rapine and violence; who is to receive our portion of the surplus revenue now ready for distribution?” In view of the lowering front of impending disaster the people were urged to assemble at the Court House on the 8th of October and take appropriate action. This address was signed by many promi¬ nent citizens of the County, William Price, Eli 230 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Beatty, D. Weise). Geo. I. Harry, Win. D. Bell, Joseph Gabby, Benj. Price, Abram Barnes, J. Dixon Roman, Otlio Lawrence, D. G. Yost, K. M. Till bail. John Reynolds, Frederick Dorsey, Joseph 1. Merrick and many others. The meeting was held, and over it Jacob Slagle presided. Resolutions mte passed Re¬ nouncing the nineteen recusants as revolutionary and charging them with a desire to destroy the government. At the same time Col. William H. Fitzhugh presided over a large meeting of Demo¬ crats at the town hall which passed resolutions in support of the recusants and commending Wason and Mapgill for their patriotism in taking the decided stand to secure reform. In the mean¬ time twenty-one helpless Whig electors were at Annapolis, adjourning from day to day. Before the Presidential election one of the Rescusants joined them and on the day after the election Gov¬ ernor Yeazey fulminated a proclamation denounc¬ ing the eighteen electors as unfaithful trustees of the public and charging them with a design to destroy the government. But he proclaimed his purpose to defeat these revolutionar}^ designs, and declared that the former Senate was a legal and constitutional body until their successors should be elected. He therefore fixed the 21st of Novem¬ ber for the meeting of the Legislature and called upon the military of the State to be in readiness to repress lawlessness and revolution. The elec¬ tion in Washington County was adverse to the Democrats and their large majority of four hun¬ dred votes at the preceding election was swept away and the county had given a majority of 84 for Harrison against Van Buren in a total vote of 4<)7gi This change of sentiment was generally attributed to the action of the Senate ejfeetors, and the same popular verdict operated in other counties. On the 12th of November, another Electors joined the meeting, and a few days later five more came in. The new Senate was elected and by this Senate the reform in the constitution was effected, giving the people the right to elect the governor and local officers. Several quiet campaigns followed this r-itemenL In June 1837, Francis Thomas, Dem¬ ocrat, was dwted oyer Jos. I. Merrick, Whig, by a majority of 'i'ML In Washington County each candidate received 1,881 votes. But at the election for members of the Assembly in October of the same year the T)< moerOfs carried the County, elect¬ ing Michael Swingley, Andrew Rench, John II. Mann and John Witmer, Jn, over Alex. Neill, Sr., L. Jacques, Joseph Weast and John Wclty by a vote of 1950 to 1825. In 1836 there was a great deal of wrangling over the Hagerstown Academy. The trustees had sold off some lots and had appropriated $150 to¬ wards the construction of the “Dry Bridge” on Prospect street. This was greatly criticised al¬ though it furnished the only public approach to the building—the only practicable access thereto¬ fore being across private grounds. This institution was liberally patronized by persons in the District of Columbia and some of the counties of Virginia, bordering the Potomac, besides Washington and other counties in Mary¬ land. Among its graduates were Campbell Morfit, a distinguished Chemist, of London, England. Col. Eugene McLean, of the United States, after¬ wards of the Confederate Army and afterwards a Civil Engineer employed by the city authorities of New York, and many others. Messrs. Roscoe, W. R. Abbott, Andrews and other prominent classic¬ al instructors controlled that Department, and Mr. Thos. Curtis, formerly of Mt: Holly, N. J., for many years managed the English portion. In the latter’s school, for some time, were the late Ex-Governor Hamilton, Benj. Swope, the Rev. 0. E. Swope, of New York City—Trinity Parish, B. F. Newcomer of Baltimore, Brevt. Brig. Gen'J G. Bell, Asst. Com. Gen’l., of Sub., TL S. A., and many others who became prominent citizens. Dr. Tshudy, who enlisted in the army in 1861 when a very old man, was arrested and tried for the violation of an ancient law in undertaking to practice medicine, not being of the “Faculty.” Under this law he Was subject to a fine of $50, one-half of winch was forfeited to the Association of regular physicians, and the other half to the informer. This prosecution occasioned great ex¬ citement which found expression, as was usual, in n public meeting, held in Hagerstown in July, J886. John Witmer was the President and An¬ drew Hogmire was the Secretary. Speeches wore mad# by Benjamin Yoe and other prominent gen¬ tle men who believed in the “Thompsonian” or “Botanical” treatment of diseases and these gen tlemcn affixed their names to a memorial to the Legislature protesting against the law and gravely asserting that the “Botanical” system was an in¬ fallible cure of rheumatism, dyspepsia and cholera. These and a great many other diseases enumerated, disappeared they said, under this treatment as if OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 231 by magic. The prominent features of the treat¬ ment were even more drastic than Dr. San Grade’s favorite method and consisted of a liberal use of purgatives and emetics and sweat cloths. Failures of crops had advanced the price of wheat in Hagerstown in December 1836, to $t,85 per bushel, and flour to $11 a barrel. These high prices in xkmerica attracted the attention of Europe, and for a second time vessels arrived in New York loaded with European wheat. There were twenty of these vessels, but sailing craft could not keep pace with the changes of the market, and by May, when the vessels had arrived the prospects for the new crop had carried prices down and tne foreign wheat and rye were sold at a great loss to the shippers. Among the arrivals by stage from the West in January 16, 1837, was General Santa Anna accompanied by Generals Hockley and Beet). Santa Anna left the stage and went to his room in the Globe Tavern where he closely confined himself until his departure. He was described by one who saw him at the time as a "man above middle height, with a large face and a negative countenance.” By a curious coincidence the name of the stage in which he took his departure for Washington was “The Texas.” Mention is made in the New York newspa¬ pers of January 1837, of Robert J. Brent and John R. Key, recently of Hagerstown who were engaged in Washington in the trial of persons charged with burning the Treasury Department. These young gentlemen, the papers said, conducted the case with distinguished ability. Robert J. Brent had then.been at the Bar but three years. By birth he was a native of Louisiana, but his family belonged to Charles County, Maryland, which his grandfather Fenwick represented in the State Senate many years. Soon after entering the bar Mr. Brent settled in Hagerstown, where he mar¬ ried a daughter of Upton Lawrence. He was a prominent Democrat, a man of marked ability and remarkably attractive in social life. He removed from Hagerstown to Baltimore where he was en¬ gaged in active practice until his death in 1872. He occupied several official positions. He was several times in the legislature, a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1850, and State’s Attorney for Baltimore City. Early in 1837 occurred four deaths worthy of note. John Kausler, a soldier of the revolution, died January 18, at the age of 85 years. He was the father of Jacob Kausler and the grandfather of John IT. and Joseph Kauslei, of Hagerstown. Peter Hcunriehouse died February 13, 1837, at the age of 84. He was a native of York, Pa., and entered the revolutionary army at German¬ town as a private under Captain Dunldn. He soon earned and received a promotion to a lieuten¬ ancy. He was at Fort Washington and Trenton, being after this latter battle officer of the day to bury the dead. He was also engaged in many Other battles and skirmishes in which he suffered greatly. Soon after his term expired he reentered the army with a lieutenant’s commission and tooU part in the battle of Germantown. His wife was the daughter of Rev. Christian Post, of the Church of England. Among the early recollec¬ tions of Mrs. ITumrichouse was being as a little girl in Jamaica where her father was stationed. Here one day whilst perched in a tree she saw her nurse devoured by an alligator. In 1798 Peter Humrichouse came to Hagerstown bringing with him his family, one member being Frederick Hum¬ richouse, then a boy of nine years, who spent a long and highly honorable and useful life in his adopted town. The next day after the death of Mr. Hum¬ richouse, George Stake died in Williamsport, 72 years of age. At the close of the war, he was one of the guards over the British prisoners confined at Fort Frederick. The Rev. Timothy Ryan died June 2, 1837, at the age of 53, in the midst of a career of useful ness. At the time of his death he was engaged in erecting a Catholic Church in Hancock. It was under his pastorate, which lasted sixteen years, that St. Mary’s Catholic Church and parsonage, in Hagerstown, were erected. He had taken an active part in the cholera epidemic and the great number of deaths among members of his church kept him busy. He was a good man and highly respected in the county. CHAPTER XVI HE troubles among the workmen engaged in the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal were endless. They were either suffering with cholera, or at war among themselves, or with the Contractors, or with the people of the communities in which they were working. They were a wild set, and doubtless were treated with harshness and > injustice. On the 17th of May, 1838, another in¬ surrection began among them, this time occasioned by the non-payment of their wages. They insisted upon destroying the work they had done, since they were to receive no pay for it. The canal authorities called upon the militia for protection. Brigadier General 0. H. Williams, who was then in command of the ryiltia of this end of the State, dispatched three companies to the scenes of the disturbances. These were the two Hagerstown companies under Captain Artz and Captain Rob¬ ertson, and the Smithburg Company under Cap¬ tain Hollingsworth. Major Barnes’ Company was held in readiness to march. But little damage was done at this time. The next year, however, in November, a most serious outbreak occcurred. The portion of the work between Hancock in Washington County and Little Orleans in Allegany County, was then un¬ der construction. • There was an organization among the laborers which possessed five hundred stands of arms, and just about this time received a consignment of five hundred duck guns from Baltimore. A large body of irresponsible and desperate men armed in this manner was of course a constant menace to the community; and in fact, that whole portion of the two counties was terrorized, and entirely at the mercy of the rioters. At Little Orleans at this time the outbreak began by an attack upon a number of German laborers, one of whom was thrown into the fire and burned to death; and a man named Hughes at Little Orleans was beaten so savagely that he died from his injuries. The miltary were summoned as speedily as possible. General Williams took com¬ mand of the companies of Gen. Thruston of Cum¬ berland, Major Barnes’ Clearspring Cavalry and Col. Hollingsworth’s Company. The militia was in the field five days, making a march of eiglity- one miles; many of the rioters were arrested and their arms taken from them. Three months before this riot, one had taken place at the tunnel, which was quelled by the com¬ panies of Thruston, Hollingsworth and Barnes. Mr. Charles B. Eiske was also engaged with them. The measures taken at this time were of a very drastic character, and brought serious trouble upon the officers. They arrested twenty-five of the lead¬ ing rioters, destroyed two hundred guns, pulled down fifty shanties and burned sixty barrels of whiskey. But it soon appeared that a portion of the property destroyed belonged to innocent indi¬ viduals who had taken no part in the riots. These appealed to the County and a suit was instituted against Messrs. Thruston, Hollingsworth and Fisk. The case came on for trial and it was de¬ cided that the defendants had exceeded their au¬ thority and acted illegally, and a judgment for $2,737 was rendered against them. They after¬ wards appealed to the Legislature for relief, but it was denied them in rather a curt fashion. These were not the only storms and controver- 234 I-IISTOEY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD sies which agitated the County at this time. A newspaper war of great ferocity was waged be¬ tween Obed Hussey on the one side and W. and T. Sehnebly on the other over the new reaping machine just then coming into use. Each had invented a machine, and each claimed precedence. Hussey declared that Sehnebly’s machine was copied' from one which had been used in England. This William Sehnebly was a great inventor. Among his contrivances was a printing platten press. The Philadelphia Saturday Courier pro¬ nounced this invention as great an improvement of the printing press as any ever made. A factory for its manufacture was started in Philadelphia in 1841. Politcal storms were not so violent $$ usual. The election in 1838 was carried by the Democrats: Robert Wason was elected Senator over Andrew Kershner and Messrs. Wharton, Grove, Mason and Byers: to the Assembly. The candi¬ dates for Congress were William Price, Whig, against Francis Thomas, Democrat, William H. Fitzhugh, independent Democrat. Thomas car¬ ried the County by about a hundred majority over both liis competitors, and was elected in the dis¬ trict. John Carr was elected Sheriff, and John T. Mason. Michael Newcomer, Frederick Byers and William McK. Keppler were sent to the House of Delegates. The contest between Price and Thomas did not end with the election. In the course of a speech delivered at Cumberland during the campaign Mr. Price made some remarks about Mr. Thomas, which the latter bitterly resented, and forthwith sent a challenge. The duel however did not take place until August 1840. On the 5th dgy of that month the two principals, along with Messrs. William H. Norris. John McPherson and Jacob Hollingsworth went to Virginia at a place in the mountains a few miles distant from Han¬ cock, and there exchanged shots at a distance of twelve- paces. Neither party was injured and there the difficulty was adjusted, Mo the honor and satisfaction of all parties/’ The par¬ ties were always very reticent about the circum¬ stances of this meeting, and nothing more than this brief recital was ever given to the public. In the campaign of 1838 an able champion of the Democratic cause arose in the ‘'Washington County Democrat.” George W. Smith had bought the “Courier and Enquirer,” a newspaper which had been published in Hagerstown for some time and changed the name to “The Democrat.” Mr. John Thompson Mason assisted Mr. Smith in edit¬ ing it. Under the law at this time, County Com¬ missioners were elected by the several districts, each district electing its own commissioner. The election in Boonshoro’ district in 1838 resulted in a tie between Messrs. Shafer and Ringer. At a new election, held the following March, the candi¬ dates were Robert Fowler, Whig, and Peter Show¬ man, Democrat. The former was elected by a vote of 213 to 182 fur his opponent. This was the first public appearance of Robert Fowler, who afterwards took a conspicuous position in the (Vmnty and State. He was a native of Montgom¬ ery County and came to Washington at an early age. He was ^ne of the contractors who built the Leitersburg turnpike. In 1846 he was elected to the Legislature on the Whig ticket, over Wil¬ liam T. Hamilton, Democrat. He was engaged in distilling, in partnership with F. K. Zeigler. He was active in promoting the construction of the Washington County railroad, in which company he was a director up to the time of his death. He was several times elected Treasurer of Mary¬ land after he removed from Washington County. Judge David Fowler late of the Court of Appeals of Maryland is his son. About the close of the year 1839 there was the greatest snow storm which had occurred within fj§f memory of any then living. The snow began to fall on the 21st of December and in a short time the roads were blockaded, and the streets of Hagerstown rendered impassable. Pol¬ lard and Clay, the contractors then building the Franklin railroad, used their teams to break tracks through the snow drifts. Hagerstown was cut off from outside communication and no mails reached the town until three days after Christmas. Just as the roads were becoming passable, on January 2, another fierce snow storm set in with a hurri¬ cane. Snow was banked up to the height of twen¬ ty feet, and at Town Hill a stage was covered. In the following summer, Hagerstown experienced a more serious visitation. An incendiary get fire in the hay loft of the stable on the lot of S. and W. Ivnode, on the south-west corner of the Square —running back to Bank alley in the rear of Hag¬ er’s row. The fire soon communicated to this row, fronting on West Washington street, and most of these houses were destroyed by noon. In these buddings were the offices of the three Whig news¬ papers, the Torch Light, the Herald of Freedom and Our Flag. All of these were burnt out. Elliott Brown’s barber shop, H. H. Ainsworth’s hatter’s OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 235 shop, Stewart’s book-store and bindery, the cloth¬ ing store of Zaccheus MeComas and the paint shop of James I. Hurley were all destroyed. These buildings were the property of J. D. Hager of Lexington, Kentucky. The three newspapers next obtained quarters in the three-story store build¬ ing on the north-east corner of the Square. The Mail came to the assistance of the unfortunate newspapers in publishing their next number. A melancholy incident occcurred in Feb. TS39, which illustrates the character and customs of the people of Hagerstown. Mrs. Schleigh, the wife of John Schleigh, whilst suffering from mental aberration, disappeared from her home. The church-hells of the town w r ere rung, and the people called together in town meeting; a regular search was instituted, hut without success. The next day, the bells were again rung and the people assembled to re¬ ceive further instructions, and a still more careful and systematic search” of every nook and corner of the town. The woman disappeared on Tuesday, and on the following Sunday she was found dead in Leonard MiddlekaufE’s woods, a half mile from the town. Many well known people died about this time. In October 18, 1839, Captain Casper Snively, a soldier of the Revolution, died at the age of 19 years. About the same time, Daniel Beltzhoover, for many years the best known tavern-keeper in Hagerstown, died of yellow fever in Natchez. Luke Tiernan also died in Baltimore in the same year. He was one of the leading merchants of Hagerstown from 1787 to 1795, when he went to Baltimore. His wife was Ann Owen, a decendant of Col. Cressap. He was a native of Ireland, and a man of marked character and ability, occupy¬ ing a leading positon in Baltimore and in the State. The death of John Van Lear, Sr., took place November 14, 1839, at the age of 70 years. He was a member of a distinguished family which, has resided at “Tammany” a beautiful country seat near Williamsport, since the close of the Rev¬ olutionary War. It was Matthew Van Lear who bought a large tract of land near Williamsport and erected the old dwelling house which is still standing. His wife was Mary Irwin of Franklin County, Pa. Mary Irwin’s sister married James Findlay of Cincinnati, and Nancy, another sister, married Governor Findlay. Matthew Van Lear had twelve children. John and Joseph Van Lear never married. They lived at Tammany, and took care of a large number of nephews and nieces. Among these were the daughters of the eldest daughter of Matthew Van Lear who had married Col. John Ramsey of Pittsburg. They were of distinguished beauty. One of them met with a French artist, who fell madly in love with her. He ni&de her portrait, which he took with him to France and there an engraving of it was made entitled "The Beautiful American.” Several cop¬ ies of this engraving adorn wails in Washington County, and one of them hangs in the parlor at “Tammany.” All of these beautiful girls died at an «udy age, except the eldest, who married William Irwin, of Cincinnati. Through the Ir¬ wins the Van Lears are closely related to the late President Benjamin Harrison. Sophia, the youngest of the twelve children of Matthew Van I .car, married Archibald Irwin Findlay, a lawyer of Chanibersburg, Pa., a son of William Findlay, Governor of Pennsylvania and afterwards U. S. Senator from Pennsylvania. Archibald Findlay left three children, James and Miss Nancy I. Findlay who now live at Tammany, and John Van Lear Findlay an ex-member of Congress and a member of the Baltimore Bar. Archibald Find¬ lay’s sister married Francis R. Slmnk, afterwards Governor of Pennsylvania. He was the father of Casper Shunk, of Williamsport in this County. John Van Lear McMahon, the historian and law¬ yer, was the son of. a sister of Matthew Van Lear, who had married William McMahon of Cumber¬ land. Two of the daughters of Archibald Irwin, who was a brother of Governor William Findlay’s wife, married sons of President William Henry Harrison. One of these sons, John Scott Har¬ rison, was the father of President Benjamin Har¬ rison. The father of Major John Van Lear, of Hagerstown, was the son of Dr. William Van Lear, a son of Matthew and a prominent physician of Washington County, who died in 1837. It was in 18S7 that the great movement from Washington County to the Rock River country of Northern Illinois began. From that time to the present an uninterrupted stream of emigrants have left their native homes and peopled the sev¬ eral counties in that State. At present the stream is greatly diminished, but during the spring months in recent years a large party of emigrants could lie seen leaving Hagerstown for the West every Tuesday. The major portion of these were bound for Rock River country. But at present, whilst the parties Still leave in diminished num¬ bers, most of them are from the counties adjoin- HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD ing Washington and come to Hagerstown to start on their journey* This journey is accomplished now in but little more than a day and is a different undertaking from that of the pioneers who left the County in the early days to make their way through the wilderness to the settlements on the Ohio river in Kentucky, or even from the journey of the hundred families who left Washington County in 1837 and 1838 under the leadership of Samuel M. Hitt to settle in the Rock River Val¬ ley in Ogle County, Illinois. Hitt, who started this movement, was born in Kentucky, but came to tin® County to make his home with an uncle. Associated with Hitt in this emigration movement was a man named Swingley. A former citizen of the County at this time attracted considerable public attention. Commo¬ dore Elliott was tried by Court Martial which he demanded upon certain derogatory statements which had been made of him, concerning his con¬ duct at the battle of Lake Erie and of his treat¬ ment of a midshipman at a subsequent time. Elliott claimed that he was unjustly deprived of the testimony of several important witnesses, in consequence of which the judgment of the court was adverse to him, and he was sentenced to a sus¬ pension of four years and a forfeiture of pay dur¬ ing a half of that time. This latter portion of the sentence was remitted by President Van Buren —an act for which he was bitterly assailed by the Whigs, who charged that it was done solely upon political grounds, and in defiance of justice. Dur¬ ing his suspension, Elliott lived near Carlisle, Pa., and was engaged in farming. He got a rehearing of his case, and was reinstated in the Navy with the restoration of his rank. Elliott was an ardent politician and his poli¬ ties several times got him into trouble. Whilst commander of the Constitution at Boston, he had made at his own expense a bust of his friend, General Jackson, and placed it as a figure head to his vessel. Someone gained access to the ves* sed, and under cover of darkness sawed off the head of the figure. This incident created great commotion and widespread comment. The act was denounced by the Democratic press with the immoderate language of the day, and approved by the Eederal papers with delight. The dissevered head was exhibited as a trophy at a dinner given to Daniel Webster in Boston. The figure is now at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Elliott’s conduct at the Battle of Lake Erie was a constant subject of criticism by the personal and political enemies of the old sailor. Upon one occasion he demanded an investigation by a Court Martial, which decided that his conduct was brave and highly honorable. But this did not silence detractors. His conduct at Lake Erie was doubt¬ less intrepid. After Perry reached the Ni¬ agara, Elliott left him in command and passed nearly through the whole line of battle in an open boat, to bring up the gun boats into action. James Duncan Elliott was the son of Col. Robert Elliott, who was killed by a party of Indians on his way to join General Wayne. He was born in Hagers¬ town in 1782, in the house on South Potomac street between Baltimore and Antietam which was later occupied by William Bester, florist. He belonged to one of the families from the North of Ireland which sent so many noble representa¬ tives to this County and to this country. The Harrison campaign of 1810 Was fully equal to the first Jackson campagin in enthusiasm although it lacked the intense bitterness of that memorable contest. The supporters of Harrison wore almost beside themselves with zeal and car¬ ried everything before them. Nineteen of the twenty-four States gave him their electoral vote. A curious objection urged against Mr. Van Buren was the allegation that he favored negro suffrage. The bare hinting at such a thing filled the minds of people with horror and indignation. The Whig papers asserted that this charge was clearly sus¬ tained. That he had voted in the New York convention of 1821 to strike out the word “white” in the qualification of voters. The Herald of Freedom was almost paralyzed at the mention of the atrocious design. Monster meetings were held in different parts of the County. The “Buckeye Blacksmith,” a wonderfully powerful and effective stump speaker, was imported from Ohio and made speeches at Clearspring and other places, arousing the people to the height of enthusiasm. At all the meetings there were log cabins drawn by six white horses, barrels of hard cider, coons and other insignia. But the great hit was the gigantic ball which came rolling down the National pike from Cumberland. Among those rolling it was George A. Pearro, then a young lawyer, afterwards on the bench. There was a halt at every village, and speeches wore made. The popular refrain was “With heart and soul This ball we roll.” The campaign was rich in phrases, songs and OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAEYLAND. 237 refrains. Mercersburg also sent a ball which af¬ ter being displayed at the monster meeting in Hagerstown was presented to the local Tippecanoe Club of which William Price was the President. This meeting, which was held September 16, was probably the largest meeting ever held to that time in the County. The number present was estimated at twelve thousand. Delegations came, hot only from every district of the County but from adjoining counties and the neighboring States of Pennsylvania and Virginia. It was proudly said by the Whigs that “no pen could describe, no tongue however eloquent could por¬ tray the scenes of the day. It was too transcend- ently magnificent for any mere man to realize. Every mountain sent forth its ’torrent, every hill its rivulet, every valley its stream, until a mighty ocean of people was here.” Washington County could usually be relied upon for a good majority for the Democrats, or the “Loco Eocos” or “Van Burenites” as their opponents never failed to term them. But this year they could not stand up against the hero of Tippecanoe. The State elec¬ tion came on in October, and the Whigs swept the State. Washington County went the same way, by a majority ranging from 100 to 200. John Newcomer was elected to the Senate over Robert Wason and J. Nesbit, Joseph Weast, Lewis Zeigler and David Claggett were elected to the Assembly over Rench, Garrott, Lyday and Mason, the Dem¬ ocrats. At the Presidential election in November, the County gave Harrison a majority of 206. On his way to Washington to enter upon the duties of the exalted office for which he had been chosen, General Harrison arrived in Hagerstown on the 4th day of February 1841, at 8 o’clock in the evening and took lodgings at Mcllhenny's Tavern on N. Potomac street. Although his ar¬ rival was not expected until the next day, yet large numbers were ready to wait upon him promptly. Manv had gathered from the surround¬ ing country and some came from Virginia and Pennsylvania. Altogether they formed a con¬ course of enthusiastic friends who shouted them¬ selves hoarse. But the next day the old soidier had to undergo the ordeal of receiving thousands. In one respect his reception was different from that accorded to General Jackson in Hagerstown—• he was greeted with warmth by his political oppo¬ nents who mingleS with the Whigs in paying honor to the new President. A feature of the reception was the slicing and distribution of a cake weighing a hundred and twelve pounds, which the people of the Town and County made for the occasion. It was surmounted by a pyramid two and a half feet in height, was iced, inscribed with appropri¬ ate mottoes and decorated with flowers. The President addressed a large concourse in the Square and then went, “walking with a firm step,” to the Hotel of Mr. William Cline on W. Wash¬ ington street, where a great number of ladies had gathered filling the handsome parlors. Here he spent an hour and then returned to his tavern where he dined and afterwards set out for Wash¬ ington surrounded by a large escort. In describ¬ ing the incident of this visit the Herald of Free¬ dom said “the General is in excellent health, speaks with the fluency and vigor of youth—his countenance is grave and contemplative and he converses with great ease in that republican style which never fails to be pleasing.” Nine weeks later he was in his grave. The candidates for Congress in 1841 were John Thompson Mason, Democrat, and Edward A. Lynch, Whig. Mason carried the County by a vote of 2107 to 2034 for Lynch. Mason was elect¬ ed. But the greatest interest was centered in the Gubernatorial election which occurred later in the year. The Democratic leader was Francis Thomas the “War Horse” and opposed to him was William Cdst Johnson, of Frederick County, the “Catoctin Sprout.” The contest was intensely exciting and resulted in a victory for the Democrats in the County by a majority for Thomas of a hundred and fifty votes and the election of the Democratic candidates for the Assembly—Jervis Spencer, Jos. Ilollman, Jacob II. Grove and Samuel Lyday. The defeated Whigs were David Zeller, Charles A. Fletcher, C. H. Orr and Samuel Claggett. Nowhere was the indignation of Whigs against President Tyler for his defection more bit¬ ter than in Washington County. Nowhere had the fight for Harrison and Tyler been more earn¬ est and vigorous and nowhere had the shout of victory been louder. Tyler’s action in repudiating his party was therefore especially bitter, and found expression not only in the newspapers, but a meet¬ ing was held on “Federal Hill” at Clearspring, when the President was burnt in effigy. But during this campaign the Whig party in Washington County lost its chief and most able champion, who had stood in the forefront of 238 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD the battle and u aged war upon the Democrats for twenty-nine years. This champion was Win. D» Ball, editor of the Torch Light. William Dullield Bell was born Friday, Sep¬ tember 20, 11 93, near Cniontown, Fayette County, Pa., where his father, Samuel Bell, temporarily resided. His mother was Susan Dullield, a native of Welsh Run, Franklin County, Pa., intimately related to the I Million!* of Pennsylvania, and the Rev. George Dullield, of Detroit, Michigan. In 18ls, Mr. B|U married Susan, Harry, of Hagers¬ town. She was a member of the “Harry” or “Harrie" family, which settled early in the Coun¬ ty. Their ancestors, for a long time, resided in Northwestern or Northern France. During the religious persecution of the Protestants, they re¬ moved to Holland, and afterwards part of the family came to Maryland. Mrs. Bell’s mother Was a Mss Sailor, whose father, among the early settlers of Western Maryland, took up a large tract on Antietam Creek, near where it is crossed lit the road from Hagerstown to Cavetown. In early life Mr. Bell resided, after his fath¬ er’s death, with his grandfather at Welsh Run. He subsequently lived in Chambersburg, Pa., and was a resident of Baltimore and a member of the State militia at the attack on the city by the British in 1814 He removed to Hagerstown in 18 Id. He was connected in the newspaper busi¬ ness with Mrs, Stewart Herbert, 0. H. W. Stull and others in the establishment of the “Torch Light and Public Advertiser.” He had also yery heavy business interests in the western part of the County. Mr. Bell was a free, expressive and attractive writer, and often engaged in miscel¬ laneous contributions for publication. His politi¬ cal affinities were very strong and decided; he was an uncompromising Whig and a great admirer of the prominent achievements and influential men of that party. He never sought a public of¬ fice where it was tlie gift of his party alone. For many years he was “moderator” of the town of Hagerstown, connected with its town works and took part in all public matters that advanced its prosperity. During the prevalence of the cholera in 1832, he was zealous, untiring and devoted to charitable duties. He was one of the oldest and most active members of the Masonic fraternity in the town, and during his entire manhood was con¬ nected with the Presbyterian Church, the greater part of such time, as an eldfr. He was a man of strongMmjniliSe, slowly roused, but prompt to control his feelings, an excellent conversationist and a person of unyielding attachments. He had many warm and devoted friends. He died in the prime of his manhood, October 7, 1841, much lamented. His wife survived him nineteen years. His eldest son, Edwin Bell, succeeded him in the editorship of the “Torch Light,” and pub¬ lished the paper and studied law with William Price until his removal to California in 1849. His eldest daughter married the Hon. William Motter, of Hagerstown, Maryland, long a member ■ of the Bar of this County and one of the purest members of the Judiciary in the State. His sec¬ ond son, living at his death, George, was appoint¬ ed to the United States Military Academy, New York, by the member of Congress for his District —Hon. James Dixon Roman. He graduated in 1853. He served in garrison at Fort Hamilton, N. Y.; on frontier duty at Fort McIntosh, Texas, and scouting in Florida hostilities against the Seminole Indians; on frontier duty at Fort Brown, Texas; on commissary duty and in charge of the ordnance department at San Antonio, Texas; in garrison at Fort McHenry, Maryland; on march to Fort Worth, Tex., and on Coast Survey duty. During the Civil War he served as bearer of dis¬ patches from the General-in-chief to the Com¬ manding Officer, Indianola, Tex.; with Light Bat¬ tery of Artillery in defense of Washington, D. C.; on Commissary and Quarter-Master duty at An¬ napolis Junction, Maryland; as assistant in the organization of the Sub. Dept, for, and serving in, the Manassas campaign and in many important stations. 'He received the following brevets for war Brev.-Maj. IT. S. A., March 13, 18G5. Bret, Lt.-Coh U. S. A., March 13, 1865. Brev. Col. U. S. A.. March 13, 1865. All the above “for faithful and meritorious services during the Rebellion.” Brev. Brig.-Gen. U. S. A., April 9, 1865, for “faithful and meritorious services in the Sub. Depf. during fixe Rebellion.” One month after the death of the founder of the Torch Light, the founder of the Mail, James Maxwell, died. After editing the Mail for a short time, Maxwell disagreed with the owners of that paper and was deposed from the editorship. He then started the “Courier and Inquirer,” and in partnership with Ringer the “Herald of Freedom” in June 1839. The following year Mittag & 01' WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 239 Sneary bought the Herald. In December, 1814, Judge Abraham Shriver retired from the bench, after a judicial career of forty years. Tor many years the newspapers of the SLate contained frequent indignant denunciations of the banks and banking system. There was ample cause for this, and when old Benjamin Galloway, in a speech at the Market House, pronounced the prevailing system of banking a legalized public swindling, he was not far wrong. The only thing necessary to complete success in swindling was to obtain a charter from the State. This was hedged about with some restrictions, but these obstacles could be evaded and then the banks were free to put their notes broadcast over the land. The ob¬ ject and aim-of the schemers was to float these notes as far away from home as possible, so as to prolong the time before they would return for redemption. The history of one of these kiting institutions will give some insight to the general practice. The Farmers’~and Millers’ Bank of Hagerstown was incorporated in 1S35 with a capital stock of $300,- 000. Under the law, no notes could be issued until $75,000 in gold and silver was in possession of the bank as a part of its capital stock. In 1840 the Treasurer of the Western Shore appoint¬ ed a committee to investigate the affairs of the bank and ascertain whether this provision of the charter had been complied with. The committee reported that the law had been observed and that the bank was in condition to embark in business. The notes were then issued and put in circulation. In 1843, a petition was sent to the Legislature charging fraud and asking for an investigation of the affairs of the bank. A select committee com¬ posed of J. M. Buchanan, J. S. Owens, J. H. Grove, I’. W. Crain and William H. Tuck was ap¬ pointed. After investigation a report was sub¬ mitted to the Legislature that the Treasurer had been misinformed by the committe which he had appointed to report to him and that in point of fact the $75,000 had not been paid in as required by law; that the bank was a fraudulent device to plunder the unwary and credulous portion of the community; that it was often sustained by bor¬ rowing from individuals; that its total assets were but $1700 and that at one time it had been so re¬ duced that its entire available funds were only $4 and a few copners. The report concluded by calling upon the At torney General to institute pro¬ ceedings to force a forfeiture of the charter. This report of course created a run on the bank and $5000 of its notes were brought in and promptly redeemed. This was claimed by the officers of the bank: as a complete refutation of the charge that the assets of the bank were only $1700. The pres¬ ident of the bank was Andrew Ivershner; J. Eyster was the cashier, and the Board of Directors was composed of George Fechtig, John Welty, James B. Jones, Robert Logan, T. S. Stumbaugh and Samuel Yeakle. These gentlemen happened to be Whigs, and the Democratic newspapers did not hesitate to hint that the methods of the bank were in strict accord with the general principles of Whiggery. The Whigs upon their part declared that the legislative committee was solely influ¬ enced by party malignity. Pending the troubles Kershner and Eyster both resigned. J. S. Pol¬ lard became president, and M. C. Clarkson, cash¬ ier. There can be no doubt that the directors of the bank as well as the public were the dupes of an adroit professional bank smasher. When the whole history of the affair came out it appeared that the agents for the establishing of the bank were William Weed and J. T. Guthrie. The lat¬ ter was indicted in 1843 by the Grand Jury of Washington County for embezzling the funds of the bank. Weed was the president of an obscure bank at Millington, Md. The Farmers and Mil¬ lers was the successor to this bankrupt concern. The Millington Bank issued two certificates of deposit, amounting to $60,000 and then failed and moved his furniture and fixings to Hagers¬ town for the Farmers and Millers. The failure had not taken place, however, until the certifi¬ cates of deposit had been counted as a portion of the assets of the bank in Hagerstown by the com¬ mittee. The gentlemen composing the committee were severely criticised for reporting these certifi¬ cates as cash, but the Treasurer of the State said that it was the common practice to take such cer¬ tificates of deposit as actual cash, and at the tune the count was made the bank which issued them Was. so far as the public knew, certainly solvent. As soon as the certificates had served their purpose of embarking the new bank upon its career of fraud, they were cast into the waste basket. Mr. M. Y. Heard was for a time teller of the bank and he went before the Legislative committee and made a complete exposure of Guthrie's methods. The statement of the bank made to the Treasurer of the Western Shore in January 1842, was upon the faith of a sum of money placed in the bank 240 I-IISTOEY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD by one A. J. Jones of Harrisburg, and withdrawn fhf same day. The first operations of the bank were in a house which stood where the building of the First National now stands, and was pulled down a few years ago to make room for the pres¬ ent building. It was subsequently removed to the basement of John Thompson Mason’s residence on Washington street, the present residence of Mrs, William r P. Hamilton. In the same house, a few rears: later, the Valley Bank was started. The subscription books were opened June 12, 1848. It ran a short and inglorious career, and failed, after haring flooded the State of New York with its notes. A large bundle of these notes is now lying in the vault at the I lagers.own Bank. The stock of this bank was almost entirely owned by- Major Lelancl of the Metropolitan Hotel of New York. After the failure of the bank he invested $106,000 in a Texas Ranch. There had been some trouble about the original subscription. The books were opened in June 1854 and the whole amount of stock, $100,000, was at once taken. The State retained $5,000, and nearly all the rest was taken by Shoup & Co. of Dayton, O., in the name of Mr. Dusang who was to have been cashier. But the charter required that one-lialf of the stock should be taken in Washington County, and Dusang was not deemed a citizen, Shoutf's sub¬ scription was therefore rejected and the books were reopened. In October 1839 the Williamsport Bank sus¬ pended specie payments. Our people lost heavily fey the failure of the Mineral Bank in Cumberland in 1858. # Through all this banking excitement and ras¬ cality the old Hagerstown Bank maintained its high' place in the confidence of the people. In 18fT it had $126,1®’? on deposit, $15,500 of which was in specie; its real estate was valued at $11,- 500 and its discounts amounted to $451,636, Its capital stock at that time was $250,000 and it had $214,400 of notes in circulation.’ The venerable Eli Beatty was still the cashier—a position he had filled since 1801. He resigned April 23, 1859, and died on the fifth of the following month. He was succeeded as cashier by William M. Marshall. John H. Kausler, began M? career in 1856 as as¬ sistant teller. He was succeeded by Edward W. Mealey. he by John L. Bike who died in office in 1904, 'and then John Kicffer the present cashier was elected. It has already been noted that the Williams¬ port Bank suspended specie payments in October 1839. The suspension was the outcome of the panic of 1837. The President of the Bank of the United States, Mr. Biddle, engaged in a disastrous cotton speculation with the funds of the Bank, and ruined that institution, which dragged down many other banks and interests with it, causing a general suspension of specie payments by banks. It was said that J. Dixon Roman lost $10,000 by the failure of this bank. The great fire in New York City contributed to the general ruin, and the climax was reached by a failure in the wheat crop, two successive years. In 1835 there was a short crop throughout the United States. In 1836, there was a total failure owing to the dep¬ redations of the fly. In Washington County the farmers were reduced to the last extremity. It was decided to try new varieties of seed for the next year and great quantities of seed wheat from the Mediterranean were imported. This wheat was sown in the autumn of 1836. As a precaution against the fly, wheat was sown late and before there was time to attain any considerable growth, cold weather set in. Late in the spring the fields looked bare and desolate, and farmers believed that there was to he a failure for the third year. But warm rains set in, and the wheat began to grow vigorously, but harvest did not take place until August. The crop harvested was a good one. Just at the beginning of the harvest, on July 27, the special election for Congress took place. Thomas and Merrick were the candidates. There was but a small vote in Washington County each candidate receiving 1881 votes. Thomas was elected by 300 majority. Dur'j g this decade the papers contained fre¬ quent notices of the deaths of Revolutionary sol¬ diers. These old patriots were rapidly passing away. It was now about sixty years since the close of the war, and oniv the very aged still remained. As each one died the event excited more than a passing interest. David Harry, who had served through the war, died at Hagerstown in March, 1843. at the great age of ninety-three years. In January, 1845, Peter Feigley died. Feiglev had attained an even greater age than Harry. He was born in 1748. He served through the entire war, and was present at the surrender at Yorktown. He was buried with military honors by Captain Schley’s Hagerstown Cadets, the Union Riflemen under Lieut. ITefflefinger, and the Me¬ chanics Band. Captain George Wherritt died in OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 241 Funkstown in May, 1844. He was born in 1776, and enlisted in the army when war was threatened in 1790. He also enlisted to suppress the whis¬ key Insurrection. He fought through the war of 1812, and was present at the battle of North Point. He was a citizen of Funkstown and was buried with military honors by the Washington Riflemen of that place. But the death which produced a profound impression throughout the whole state was that of the distinguished Chief •Justice of Maryland John Buchanan, which took place at “Woodland,” his country seat near Wil¬ liamsport, November 6, 1844. The appointment of Judge Buchanan’s suc¬ cessor gave occasion for some political feeling. There had been a hot political contest for Gover¬ nor. The Democrats had been successful in elect¬ ing Francis Thomas over Wm. T. Goldsborough. Governor Pratt’s term was just about to expire when Judge Buchanan died, and he appointed Daniel Weisel to the vacancy just as he was retir¬ ing. The Democrats contended that it was un¬ seemly to make the appointment, and that it should have been’left for Governor Thomas. In¬ deed, during this whole decade party feeling and animosity was very pronounced. In February, 1845, the contest for Congress was between Mason Democrat, and Brengle, Whig. The latter car¬ ried the County by a vote of 2188 to 2060. The Presidential campaign between Polk and Clay that Fall was a time of intense excitement, and nothing was heard of but the Tariff. In Wash¬ ington County, it was not merely a political con¬ test. Most of the prominent Whigs of the County knew Mr. Clay personally, and loved him. The combination of this personal attachment with in¬ tense political conviction and an entire persuasion that the welfare of the County was dependent upon the result, operated powerfully upon the minds , and hearts of the people. When the news of his defeat came, many strong men wept bitter¬ ly. Then the question of the annexation of Texas came up. The Whigs denounced it as a wicked scheme. Maryland had pronounced against it .by a majority of three thousand. Mr. Merrick represented this majority in the United States Senate. He had been a pronounced Whig, and when this Whig Senator cast the deciding vote in the Senate in favor of the “wicked scheme” of annexing the “barren, debt-encumbered terri¬ tory of Texas,” the indignation of the Washing¬ ton County Whigs knew no bounds nor moderation. Senator Merrick’s action was “the most damnable recusancy and treachery ever heard of save that of the arch traitor John Tyler.”* Then came the Mexican war. The Whigs did not cease to protest against it. The cost of such a war could not fall far short of a hundred millions. It was not only an unnecessary war but it was cruel and uncalled for. Bert during the whole time their was great activity in Washington County. As soon as the battle was smelled from afar, the roll of the drum was heard and Whig and Democrat alike enlisted with the same feeling and desire for adventure as animates men to go on a hunting excursion. Captain Anniba promptly offered the Leitersburg Invincibles to his country but the offer was declined, because the ranks were too thin. It contained only thirty men. Among the very first to enlist was James L. Freaner. Col. James L. Freaner a son of William Freaner, of Hagerstown, was one of the boldest and most enterprising of the pioneers who opened up the wilds of the West to civilization. He was one of the band of adventurers who first penetrated the unexplored wilds of Texas. Whilst in Mexico, he distinguished himself as the war correspondent of the New Orleans Della and his letters, over the signature of “Mustang,” attracted the atten¬ tion of the country. The treaty of peace which closed the war and ceded California to the United States was brought from the City of Mexico to Washington in an extraordinary ride by Ooh Freaner. After the close of the war he went to California, and became one of the earliest set¬ tlers of that golden land. But his restless and enterprisng disposition did not suffer him to re¬ main quiet. He obtained from the Legislature of California a charter for a wagon-road through the northern portion of the State to the Oregon line. With three companions he left Yreka in June, 1852, to survey the route, The party disappeared and nothing further mt heard of them for three years. Then Numtariman, a Cow Creek Indian Chief, told how the party with two Indians had started to cross the Pitt liiver in a canoe. In the middle of the stream the Indians capsized the canoe and a large party on either shore commenced shooting their arrows into the white men as they were struggling in the water. Long afterwards, a skull *Torch Light. 242 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECOBI) was found near the place indicated which was identified as that of Col. Freaner by a peculiar gold filling in one of the teeth. Another son of Washington County in the Mexican War was Richard Pindcll Hammond. He was a son of Dr. William Hammond. Hjs mother was Anna Maria Ringgold Tilghman, a daughter of Col. Fristiy Tilghman. Richard P. Hammond graduated at West Point in 1841. After serving at various militan posts he was ordered to Mexico, where he fought Inanely and was brevetted major at Chapultepoe. In the fight heftae* the City of Mexico he was highly spoken of, and after the city fell was assigned to quar¬ ters in the palace of the Montezumas, where he occupied the rooms of General Manta Anna. In I80I he resigned his commission, and eneaged in work in California. Hi 1 laid out the City of Stockton. Upon several occasions he occupied high civil offices in the State and was for many rears Chief of the Holies Oofiimissioners of the city' of San Francisco. Richard Pindell Hammond’s father, William Hammond, Sr., also a native of Hagerstown. Dr. William Hammond, Sr., was appointed as¬ sistant surgeon in the- United States Army by President Andrew Jackson on June 1, 1834. His wife was a daughter of Col. Frisfev Tilghman, of Washington County, brother-in-law of Gen. Sam¬ uel Ringgold. The senior Dr. Hammond died in Benicia, Cal February 13, ISM. During the greater part of his service in tin army Dr. Ham¬ mond's family resided in Hagftwtown. Fie left three sons. R. P. Hammond, mentioned above, was the eldest. William Hammond, the second son, who died in May, l')()3, at the age of 80 years, was appointed assistant surgeon m the United States Army, Match 2, 1S4S. and was stationed for a number of years in California. He resigned his commission September lb, 1833, and‘made San Francisco his home. George Hammond, the third son of old Dr. William Hammond, was appointed assistant surgeon in the United States Army in June 28, 1838. He died in 1803. One of the daughters of the elder Dr. Ham¬ mond married John Buchanan Hall, a member of the Hagerstown Bar, wb§ afterward moved to California.' The iftftsd distinguished of the soldiers that Washington ( Vmnl v gave* to the United States in the Mexican War'was Major Samuel Ringgold. Major Ringgold's father. General Samuel Ring¬ gold, had served the State as a representative in Congress for many years. Three of his sons were in the military service. Major Ringgold was horn at Fountain Rock in 1800; graduated at West Point in 1818, and served for several years as aid-de camp to Gen. Scott. In 1836 he became captain; was engaged in the Florida war, and for his services in that war was brevetted major. He organized a corps of flying artillery, and was mortally wounded at the battle of Palo Alto, at the very beginning of the Mexican War. He introduced flying artillery into our army and invented the McClellan saddle which is still used hy army officers and regarded by them as the best. He also invented an appliance for exploding the fulminating primer of field guns. Major Ring¬ gold's mother was Maria, daughter of Gen. John Cadwalader of Kent County. Another »m of “Washington County who was in the Mexican War was Cadwalader Ringgold, son of Gen. Ringgold of Fountain Rock. He was born at Fountain Rock, Washington County, August 20, 1§ML In 1819 he entered the Navy as a midshipman. From 1838 to 1842, he was engaged in the Wilkes Expedition, commanding the brig Porpoise. In that expedition he took part in the Antarctic explorations, and in a survey of South Sea Islands and of the Pacific coast of North America. He served in California from 1849 to 18.31. On account of ill health, he had to dcpllni: the command of the North Pacific ex¬ ploring expedition, and was placed upon the re¬ serve lad September. 18,33. The next year he returned to active service and vyas promoted cap¬ tain. In 1861, he commanded the frigate Sabine; after varied 'Service during the Civil War, he was promoted Commodore in 1862, placed on the re¬ tired list in 1864. and retired as rear-admiral in .1866. He died in New York City the following George Hay Ringgold was the son of Gen. Samuel Ringgold by his second wife, Marie An¬ toinette Hay. He was born at Fountain Rock in 1814, and died in San Francisco, April 4, 1864. He graduated at the U. H. Military Academy at West Point in 1833. He resigned from the army in 1837, and engaged in farming. He was ap¬ pointed paymaster in 18 16, and served in that eapuvifv in the Mexican War. He became deputy Paymaster-General in 1862, and was in charge of tliis service on the Pacific Coast until Ms death. In addition to his military accomplishments, he OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND 245 was a draughtsman, a painter and a poet. He published a volume entitled “Fountain Rock, Amy Weir and other Metrical Pastimes.” Col. William 11. Fitzhugh, son of Col. Wm. H. Fitzhugh, distinguished himself in the fight before the City of Mexico and was wounded. He was a private in the Regiment of Voltigeurs. Thomas Philips, Jeremiah Corey, Upton Wilson, Calvin Julius, Calvin Bowers and John and James Anderson, all of Hagerstown, were in the regular army on the Rio Grande with General Taylor at the beginning of hostilities. A com¬ mission of major in one of the two volunteer Maryland regiments, was tendered by the Gover¬ nor to William B. Clarke a leading lawyer of Ha¬ gerstown, but the offer was declined. In Septem¬ ber, 1847, Dr. Frisby Tilghman who lived on the farm near Lappons subsequently owned by Dr. Thomas Maddox, left with a half-dozen others for the seat of war. Dr. Tilghman had been ap¬ pointed 1st Lieutenant of Captain Tilghman’! Light Infantry. When he reached Yera Cruz the war was ended. The farmers of Washing¬ ton County reaped considerable advantage from the war in the increased price of wheat. The price of flour in Plagerstown quickly advanced to $10 per barrel. Nor did the newspapers fail to reap their part of the benefit. The eagerness for news was very great, and all of the County papers, “The Herald of Freedom” nublished by Mittag and Snearv, “The Torch Light” by Edwin Bell, “'The News,” by John W. Boyd, and the Williamsport “Times” all published semi-weekly editions to sup¬ ply the demand. It was to these papers that the people looked for for their news, not only for local news, but for the history of events throughout the world. There w'as no competition by city papers with those published in the County, and that fact accounts for the different character of the County papers in those days. Among the printers of Hagerstown was one whose paper, the “'Western Correspondent” had died out with the use of the German language in which it was printed_ or many years. Although he did not die until ten years later he was even at this time the oldest and best known printer in the State. “J. Gruber’s Hagers-Town Town and Coun- *The substance of this sketch is derived from an article in the Herald of Freedom January 6, 1858, supposed to have been prepared by the Rev. S. H. Giesy, then pastor of Zion Reformed Church try Almanack”* has done more than anything else to make the name of Hagerstown familiar through¬ out the United States. Millions have been printed and sold, circulating mainly in Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The German editions of this famous publication was established in 1795, at a time when most of the church services in Hagerstown were conducted in that language. Twenty-five years later an English edition became necessary. The circulation of the latter edition rapidly increased, while as a new generation grew up, that of the German Almanac diminished. The type for these publications was set by Gruber himself, assisted in later years by Daniel May, the husband of his daughter. The press upon which the almanacs and newspaper were printed was bought in Philadelphia. Upon this press, besides printing the Almanacs and his news¬ papers, Mr. Gruber printed other publications, in¬ cluding the first edition of the Psalms and Hymns of the German Reformed Church, under the su¬ pervision of the Synod, in 1813. The copy for the German Almanac was for many years furnished by the celebrated Dr. Christian Boerstler, a gen¬ tleman of liberal education and high standing in the County and State, who had emigrated from Germany and settled in Funkstown. The family of John Gruber possess records going back three and a half centuries. The family lived at Mar¬ burg in Hesse, occupying for generations a high and honorable position. One of them, Andreas Gruber, was a pastor who was in one parish forty- eight years. On the mother’s side the family derived its lineage, it is claimed, from noble blood. The first of the family to emigrate to America was John Adam Gruber, the grandfather of the founder of the Almanac, who landed, with his family in Philadelphia in 1726, and settled in Germantown. Here John Everhard Gruber, the father of John Gruber, was bom in 1736. John Everhard Gruber -was a physician. He married Miss Christiana Pain, of Philadelphia in 1763. Both of them spent the evening of their lives with their son in Hagerstown. There the father died in 1814, aged seventy-eight, and the mother, ten years later, at the age of eighty-six. John Gruber, the founder of the Almanac, was born in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pa., October 31, but who afterwards joined the Episcopal Church and died in 1888, whilst Rector of Epiphany Parish, Washington, D. C. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 1708. He was apprenticed to a printer in Phila¬ delphia, and served six 3'ears. Being in feeble health, he was sent to San Domingo for the benefit of the warm and delightful climate and there sustained himself by setting type for a newspaper printed in the French language. He escaped the horrors of the insurrection which took place while .he was in the island. Landing in Baltimore, he met with General Samuel Ringgold, and was by him induced to make Hagerstown his home; he arrived here in 1795. Ringgold was an ardent politician, and his object in having Mr. Gruber come to Hagerstown was to start a newspaper in the interest of the Jefferson or Republican party. The “Western Correspondent,,” printed in the Ocsr- man language, was accordingly established. Soon after Jefferson's election a number of Federalists proposed to Mr. Gruber to furnish him with' a certain cash sum of money, and to guarantee three hundred new subscribers for several years, upon condition that he would oppose Jefferson and favor the Federalists. This proposal was rejected. Later, at the instance of a number of Republican politicians, an English newspaper called the “Sen¬ tinel of Liberty” was started, but as an excellent paper belonging to the same party was already well established, namely, the Maryland Herald, by Thomas Grieves, this venture was not a success, and was shortly abandoned. But the publication of the Western Correspondent was continued for some years, by Gruber and May. It was in this office that Adam Glossbrenner, sergeant-at- arms of the House of Representatives of the United States in 1858, served an apprenticeship. Whilst Mr. Gruber was a Republican or Jefferson¬ ian from strong conviction, he was never violent, but rather calm and. deliberate in his judgment and in the expression of his views. He voted at every Presidential election from Washington to Buchanan inclusive and continued to the end of his life an adherent of the Democratic party. When he came to die, it was said of him that he left not one enemy; that he had never been heard to speak ill of any human being, and that he never owed a debt. He lived in and owned the small house on South Potomac street which was taken down a few years ago to give place to Jacob Mona tins building. This house was almost his entire estate. He was an exemplar of the domes¬ tic virtues. “To him age listened with respect and admiration, and youth feist* up and called him blessed.” Gruber died on the 29th of December 1857, at the age of 89 years. He was buried on the last day of the year in tlie graveyard of Zion German Reformed Church' b.y the Rev. Samuel II. Giesy. Notwithstanding the bitter opposition ol the Whigs to the Mexican War, they did not fail to take every, political advantage which grew out of it. They charged the Democratic administration with lack of vigor in prosecuting the war, and nominated the successful General Zachary Taylor, for the Presidency. The enthusiasm of his cam¬ paign was only second to that of the Harrison campaign, and the majority which he received in Washington County was 251, even more than that given to old Tinnecanoe. The popular refrain with which the County resounded was ‘'Hurrah, hurrah we think with reason That this will be a great coon season.” But politics did not occupy the entire public attention. Several of our most enduring institu¬ tions were founded about this time. In February, 1846, the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Washington County was organized. Daniel Weisel, George Fechtig, M. W. Boyd, Alex. Neill, Jr., G. A. Bender, Daniel Schindel. Edwin Bell, Geo. W. Smith. William B. McAfee* George Shafer and George Schley were the first directors. Dan¬ iel Weisel was the first President, but he was succeeded in a few months by William B. Clark, and Edwin Bell became secretary. The company lias had a prosperous career for several years. Matthew S. Barber was the President for many years. During the Civil War an op¬ position company was formed, based princi¬ pally upon political objection to the Demo¬ crats who composed the old Mutual. But this company expired in a few years. The Planters’ Mutual Company was organized, and soon entered upon a prosperous career which continues to this day. In 1817, the Hagerstown Savings Institu¬ tion was incorporated. After conducting busi¬ ness for eight 3'ears without making one bad debt or losing a single dollar, the charter was amended by the Legislature in 1851. The name was chang¬ ed to she Hagerstown Savings Bank, and the priv¬ ilege of issuing notes in denominations not less than $5 was given. Under this power, $25,000 Were at once issued. P. B. Small was the first President of the Bank, and Peter Negley Cashier. In 1865 the Bank became the First National Bank of Hagerstown. In 1870, Peter Negley resigned to become sub-Treasurer at Baltimore^ and Mr. OP WASHINGTON -COUNTY, MARYLAND. 247 Small succeeded him as cashier filling that position ■ until his death in 1881, when John D. Newcomer was elected. Charles G. Lane succeeded Small as President. He died in 1873, and Col. George Schley was elected. He filled the position until his death in 1890. During the last year or two ot his life, on account of his feeble health, Col. Buchanan Schley was acting President. In 1890- S. M. Bloom was elected President. The manufactures of the County at this lime were important. The most conspicuous Iron Man¬ ufacturers in the. County were the Hughes. The Hughes brothers built a furnace at Black Rock-, South Mountain, before the Revolution. After¬ wards, another known as Mt. Aetna was built a mile further down the mountain. This passed into the hands of John ILorine. Col. Daniel Hughes and Col. William Fitzhugh built the Old Forge Nail Factory on the Antietam between Hagerstown and Leitersburg. Col. Daniel Hughes and his two sons, Samuel and Daniel, built the Mt. Alto Furnace in Franklin County, Pa., which had a long and prosperous career. The Hughes foundry was well known and established at the time of the Revolutionary War; it furnished many cannon for the use of the Continental Army. The first of this prominent family to come to America was Barnabas Hughes, of Ireland, in 1750. He settled in Lancaster, Pa. He had three sons, Daniel and Samuel, who were both conspicuous in the Revolutionary War for the prominent part they took in Washington County, and John, who was a captain in the Revolutionary Army. The sons of Daniel Hughes were Robert,’William, Samuel and James. A daughter of the eldest of these married Joseph I. Merrick. A son, John II. Hughes lived in California; Colonel Daniel Hughes at the age of 70 married his third wife, the mother of Commodore Elliott. Robert Hughes the eldest son of Col. Daniel, married Susannah Purviance of Baltimore. He had six children: Elizabeth Isabella ; Henrietta F., wdio married Dr. Fenn, of Rochester; Rebecca L.,' unmarried; Letitia P., who married Dr. H. H. Harvey; Wil¬ liam, the second son of Col. Daniel Hughes, who married Margaret Coale of Cecil County and had a large number of children; this family went to Kentucky; Samuel, the third son of Col. Hughes married Miss Holker and had the following child¬ ren: Major John Holker, James, Napoleon, Henry, Lewis, Marie Antoinette who married Col. Wm. Fitzhugh, Louisa, the wife of Dr. Clagett Dorsey, Adelaide, wife of John Savage of Philadelphia; Catherine, who married first Wm. C. Brien, and afterwards Dr. Tryon H. Edwards. The Hughes were frequently intermarried with the Fitzhughs and there is close relationship between the two families.* The old Nail Factory at Antietam Iron Works, owned at the time by John McPherson Brien, was burned on the 25th of April 1841. It was rebuilt, increased in size and in successful operation in two months. These works situated about three hundred yards from the junction of the Antietam and the Potomac, gave employment in 1841 to two hundred white laborers and sixty slaves. To these slaves Mr. Brien was a remark¬ ably kind master and it was said that their cloth¬ ing, food and general condition of happiness were superior to those enjoyed by any free negroes. The head of the fall at these works is about twenty-one feet. At the time of which we are speaking, one water wheel, fourteen feet high and eight feet wide, drove an improved saw mill, and shingle, state and jointing' machines. The fur¬ nace bellows wheel was twenty feet high and four feet wide. The furnace blown by this wheel made from forty to sixty tons of metal a week. An¬ other water wheel, sixteen feet high, drove nine¬ teen nail and spike machines, with the necessary cutters to prepare the plates. Between four and five hundred kegs of nails, varying in size from two-penny up to seven-inch spikes, were manufac¬ tured each week. Another water-wheel twelve feet high worked a ponderous chaffery hammer. There was a six-fire forge, with a hammer weigh¬ ing twenty-one tons driven by a sixteen foot wheel. There were also two forge bellows wheels seventeen feet high. There was a rolling mill for turning rolls of various sizes, nail rods, nail plates and bar iron. This machinery was driven by an overshot wheel fourteen feet high and twenty feet wide. There were also three puddling furnaces and an air furnace. Two other wheels, seventeen feet high, drove a merchant grist mill, with four run of French burrs. All of these wheels were driven from the same race, supported by a strong wall laid in hydraulic cement. Two hundred and fifty yards away was the canal basin, where coal, lumber and ore were received and the pro- *Scharf’s History of Western Maryland. 248 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD ducts of the works shipped in the boats owned by Mr. Brien. * J. McPherson Brien was a man or marked ability and untiring energy. In politics he was an enthusiastic Whig and each one of his white em¬ ployees had to vote the Whig ticket. The day before each election he would visit the Torch Light office and procure tickets printed upon colored paper. Each man had to present one of these tickets in at the window. The Antietam Works were erected by William M. Brown, and were operated by Ross, Bell & Henderson, of Baltimore, until they came into jwSbe^sion of Mr. Brien. In July 1853 they were sold to Wm. B. Clark for $51,500. In 1855 Clark sold a half' interest in the property to Levi Easton for $35,000.. After¬ wards the. property was sold to Daniel V. Ahl, of Pennsylvania. Eor some years it has not been operated. Bentzes’ Coffee Mill Factory in Boonsboro’ was in active operation and during 1849 turned out three hundred coffee mills each day. Casper W. Wever bought a large tract of land at the foot of Pleasant Valley, and the water power of the Potomac between the present Hagerstown Junction and Harper’s Ferry—an almost unlimited power, as the quantity of water Is enormous, and the fall in two miles and a half not less than fifteen feet, sufficient for three hun¬ dred thousand spindles. The design of Wever was to establish a manufacturing town upon his property, the power to be furnished at an annual rental. It was claimed that no place in the Union Was more favorably situated for manu¬ factures. The water power was equal to that of Lowell, while the climate was less rigorous and there was a greater abundance of food, which would make labor cheaper. A company was ac- ptfdingly formed with George Jacolw of Waynes¬ boro, Pa., as President; Mason Kinsell, of Chest¬ nut Hill, Pa., C'apt. Iiessekiah Boteler, Edward Garrott, Lewis Bell, John Gray and Barton Bote¬ ler, directors. In May, 1817, the first sale of lots was advertised. Twenty-six lots were sold, at an average price of $15—being $1800 for less than an .acre of land. A contract was made with J«h. P. Sbannan to construct a dam for $35,000, the work in be supervised by Charles B. Fisk, the engineer of the Canal. Lots were offered at a nominal price for factory seats and free to any church. But lots were sold upon the condition that no liquor should be sold. In 1819, Joseph G. Chap¬ man, of Charles County, succeeded Mr. Jacobs as president of ihe company, James M. Buchanan was elected counsel, Barton Boteler, treasurer, Wm. Loughridge, General Agent, and Casper We¬ ver, Secretary. The Potomac Company erected a large mill but it was never operated. The Henderson Steel and Pile Manufacturing Company also erected a building in 1846 and continued operations until the approach of the war, about which time Caspar Wever died. William Loughridge also had a mar¬ ble works furnished with power by the Weverlon Company. William Loughridge was the inventor of the Air Brakes and various important appli¬ ances. The discovery of the application of air to car brakes was his and the Westinghouse is simply an improvement. He was working on it for many years and a notice of his experiment was pub¬ lished in 1858. He was a citizen of Washington County and the wife of Alexander Neill is his daughter. He died in Philadelphia in 1890. The great scheme of Wever finally collapsed, and there is nothing now left but a number of stone houses erected for the mill operatives, many of them in ruins, and also some other ruins. Weverton is now the junction point of the Washington County branch of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad with the main line. In 1858 a hill had been introduc¬ ed into the House of Representatives to establish a National Foundry. Weverton immediately as¬ pired to be the seat of this great industry. A public meeting was Held and a large committee Was appointed to wait upon Congress. Nor was Weverton the only point in Washington County which was thought fit. for this purpose. Williams¬ port, which had been disappointed in so many expectations, had seen the Federal City pass her by, had failed to become a station on the Balti¬ more and Ohio railroad and the junction point when that road should receive the west-bound travel from Philadelphia and the whole of east¬ ern Pennsylvania, now saw its opportunity; Wil¬ liamsport was of all places the place for the National Foundry. It was accessible to Washing¬ ton and at the same time inaccessible to an invad¬ ing army and it was believed*that the best ore in the United Stats for easting great guns was to be found in the immediate vicinity, A large meet- *Wheeling Gazette. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 249 ing of the people of the town 'and the surround¬ ing country was held. Resolutions were adopted setting forth all these advantages and calling upon adjoining counties of the three States to unite m urging the claims of Williamsport. A little later, after it was supposed that the passage of the bill had been assured, a county meeting was held in Hagerstown, which urged the selection of some site within the limits of Washington County. At¬ tention was also directed in the newspapers to the junction of Beaver and Antietam Creeks, at a place known as the “Devil’s Back Bone.” In June, 1847, an incident occurred which arrested the attention of the whole country, and contributed its share towards bringing on the great Civil War. In the latter part of May, about a dozen slaves had lied from their masters in Washington County and taken refuge in Penn¬ sylvania. Three of them were arrested near Ship- pensburg, and were taken to Carlisle and commit¬ ted to jail. The owners of these fugitives, Coi. Hollingsworth and James H. Kennedy, went to Carlisle, sued out a writ of habeas corpus, and brought them before Judge Hepburn, who upon indentification remanded them to the custody of their owners. The scenes which occurred at this hearing were described to the author by Judge Hepburn himself. He was the youngest Judge who ever sat on the bench in Pennsylvania. Dur¬ ing the hearing, a large and infuriated crowd of negroes had gathered into the court room and immediately upon the announcement of the Judge's decision, a rush was made upon the pris¬ oners to deliver them. Judge Hepburn descended from the bench and seizing a long pole from the hands of a by slander, called upon the sheriff to do his duty, and drove the mob from the court room. At the Court House door, a carriage was waiting, to convey the prisoners .away. As the party reached the door of the carriage, a furious onset was made by a mob of negro men and women, armed with paving stones, clubs and sticks. In the melee the captured woman and girl escaped, but the third slave, a man, was hurried into the carriage and brought hack to Maryland. Kennedy, however, had fallen under a success¬ ion of blows. The white citizens of the town stood by and did not interfere. Mr. Kennedy was carried to bed, and his principal injury appear¬ ed to be in the knee, but on the 25th of June, he was suddenly seized with an affection of the heart, brought on by the treatment he had undergone, and expired in an hour. Whilst suffering in Car¬ lisle from his injuries, Mr. Kennedy was treated with the utmost kindness and devotion by the people. Nothing which could contribute to his comfort or to his recovery was left undone and after his death, as his body was borne through the streets on Hie way to its final resting-place m the old Presbjberian Churchyard in Hagerstown, it was accompanied by a long procession of citi¬ zens, who moved to the tolling of the Church bells of the town. The sidewalks of the street througn which the procession passed were lined with citi¬ zens, who stood with uncovered heads. In the afternoon a public meeting w r as held in Carlisle, and resolutions were adopted, characterizing Mr. Kennedy's death as a public and private calamity —“public, because a citizen had been lost whose whole life was an ornament and whose character was a valuable example of a good man—the more to be regretted because his untimely death was in some measure, connected with the acts of a lawless mob, disgraceful to Carlisle,” When the unexpected news of Mr. Kennedy’s death readied Hagerstown, jrt set the whole town in a blaze of indignation. Words were not strong enough to express the feelings of the people. Per¬ sonal affection for the man who had been killed and deep indignation against the State which by its legislation had nullified laws of Congress and encouraged such scenes of violence drove 'the people almost to frenzy. Public meetings were held and resolutions setting forth the arbitrary conduct of the government of Pennsylvania and the grief of the people were passed. The news¬ papers of Hagerstown, and especially the Torch Light and Herald of Freedom, were unmeasured in their denunciation of Pennsylvania and their threats of border retribution. The language used sounds strange indeed now—more as if the time when it was written was a century ago than not much more than half that period. The Carlisle Herald had said “our citizens generally made no interference. The evidence that the slaves were fugitives, was clear, and the mass of our citizens therefore regarded them as the rightful property of their owners.” This the Hagerstown Herald of Freedom declared to be self conviction. “Sup¬ pose,” argued the Herald of Freedom, “'a hundred of their horses were stolen and brought to Hagers¬ town, and suppose the owners followed and proved their property and wished to take it away, but a mob arises, in the light of day, in the public 250 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD streets, strikes them down with bludgeons and stones .and wrests from them their property What would be thought of the mass of our citi¬ zens if they made no interference?” The next excitement was the trial of the rioters in Carlisle. Professor MeClintock, of Dickinson College, was more than suspected of being what in those days was considered the most despicable of persons, an Abolitionist. Evidence which caused his ar¬ rest of inciting the riot was produced. All the Southern students of the College, a large portion of the whole number, demanded the dismissal of MeCliafot'k from the faculty, the alternative being their own immediate withdrawal. The trial for rioting came oil, and to the general surprise, Mc- Clmtock was acquitted and thirteen negroes con¬ victed. Then the school-boys were appeased, and MeClintock began to talk about suing the Hagers¬ town jiapers for libel. But he probably well un¬ derstood that if he had ventured into Hagerstown, his reception would have been of a most inhos¬ pitable character. Indeed, the Herald of Freedom in response to a demand by the Pennsylvania papers for the return of a negro girl who had been cajoled into this State and then, sold, pro¬ posed that the girl would lie returned if McClin- tock was sent over in exchange. In his message to the Legislature in January 1818, Governor Pratt referred to the incident of Mr. Kennedy’s death and the refusal to gratify his requisition by the Governor of Pennsylvania upon the ground that a certain law passed in Maryland for the punishment of runaways in 1838 was unconstitu¬ tional. The whole matter came up in the Legis¬ lature, and an animated debate took place, in which the late Judge French related the circum¬ stances of Kennedy’s death and the grievances of citizens of Washington County and Mr. Clag- ett offered a series of resolutions, calling upon the Legislature of Pennsylvania to repeal the ob¬ noxious law which prevented the recapture of fugitive slaves. In the early days of Washington County there were but few negro slaves. The great mass of the people were Germans of small means, and whilst there were some owners of large or manorial tracts of land who owned many slaves, the aggregate in the County compared with that of the tidewater counties was small. But there were for many years great numbers of “indentured” Dutch and Irish servants, or Re- demptioners, as they were called. A “Redemp¬ tion/er” was simply an assisted immigrant; a person who desired to emigrate to the new world, had not money enough to pay his passage, and agreed to serve any one for a term of years who would pay it for him. This result was obtained by the master of the vessel who, upon his arrival in America, would sell his passengers at public auction, for a term of years. The law protected the purchaser, and the Redemptioner was practic¬ ally a slave for a time and could be sold as often as successive owners should see tit. As late as September, 1818, we find an advertisement in one of the Hagerstown papers of German Redemption- ers for sale, “principally young people, farmers and tradesmen of every kind.” Indeed, just as among the ancient Romans, poets and men of learning were held in bondage, so among the Re- denrptioners were men of education and attain¬ ments; now and then a school master would be offered for sale. From these people are descended some of the foremost of our citizens; one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was the son of a Redemptioner. Now and then the unfortunate immigrant would fall into the hands of a cruel master, and advertisements offering re¬ ward for the capture of runaway indentured ser¬ vants were not infrequent; advertisements of sales were more frequent still. For instance in June, 1799, Edward Drury of Sharpsburg, advertises for sale*in the Herald the time of an indented Irish servant girl, one year and nine months. But gradually the indentured servants disappear¬ ed from the County, by becoming citizens and their places were filled by negro slates. As wealth increased, the numbers of these grew, until check¬ ed by the growing disposition in Pennsylvania to nullify the fugitive slave laws of Congress, and the encouragement of the people across the bor¬ der to fugitives. Then slave property became too precarious. The total number of slaves in Lite County decreased from 2193 in 1800 to 2090 in 1850. But Hagerstown was always a noted slave market. Fugitives from the Southern coun¬ ties or from Virginia would pass through the County on their way to Pennsylvania. There were many “professional” slave catchers who Would capture them just as they were about to jvaeh the promised land ; and indeed the free soil of Pennsylvania was often invaded, and negroes caught and hurried hack across the line before they had any. opportunity to appeal to the laws of that State lor protection. The general penalty OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 251 for running away was to be sold- to tlie Cotton States, and the buyers came to Hagerstown for the purpose of purchasing those unfortunate crea¬ tures who had so nearly, as they supposed, reached their goal. For years it was a constant cause of complaint that the jail was improperly used to imprison negroes until their owners came to claim or Sell them. In 1825, the Grand Jury of the November term, in its report to the Court, charged that the jailor had been using the jail as a repository of the slave-trade; that he caught slaves, and whilst they were held in chains in some private dungeon, the jailor was negotiating with their owners, and extorting from them un¬ reasonably high prices. The jury therefore in¬ sisted that the sheriff should discharge his jailor. In 1819, .a petition was sent to the Legislature, signed by many of the leading people of the Coun¬ ty, asking that a stop should be put to the slave traffic in Hagerstown, and the improper use of the jail. Growing out of this recapturing runaway slaves, a case was tried in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, in 1821, which excited intense interest throughout the State. It was the test case to decide under some recent legislation, wheth¬ er Pennsylvania would continue to surrender fugitive slaves or would nullify the law's of Con¬ gress upon that subject. One Peter Case was indicted for kidnapping a negro man named Heze- kiah Cooper, and lodging him in the Hagerstown jail. The penalty under this indictment was a fine of $2,000 and confinement in the penitentiary for a term not exceeding twenty-one years. Coop¬ er claimed to be free. But at the trial, Major Fdward G. Williams and Thomas Kennedy proved conclusively that the negro was a fugitive slave, belonging to Major Williams. In his charge to the jury the Judge said that it was not their duty to decide cases upon abstract principles of Chris¬ tianity or humanity, but in accordance with the law of the land. Under that law, the owner of the slave had a right to him and he directed the jury to bring in a verdict of not guilty. Slavery in Washington County was necessarily of a mild character. Any harsh treatment upon the part ■ of a master resulted in a flight to Pennsylvania, and the recovery from that State, with many of its people in sympathy with the fugitives, was difficult. Indeed, slaves were generally unprofit¬ able, and they appear to have been a somewhat unruly class, for the papers are filled with com¬ plaints of gatherings of noisy crowds of negroes in the Market House and elsewhere, drinking, gambling and carousing, pitching cents, playing cards and other unlawful games in stables. The town statute books were full of ordinances prohib¬ iting these gatherings, but apparently there was no good result. The only thing the negroes stood in mortal terror of was being sold to the Cotton fields, A threat of such a sale always produced results. One unmanageable negro girl about 20 years of age, the property of Mrs. Susan Gray, of Boonsboro’, had been threatened with a sale, and seeing some visitors come to the house whom she mistook for negro buyers, she deliberately took an axe and cut off her left hand so as to make herself unmarketable. A man confined in jail cut off four of his fingers to prevent the sale, and another with a similar motive broke his skull with a stone. A writer in the Washington Union in 1847 contended that the change of destination of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad from Pittsburg to Wheeling was due to the Kennedy riot. It was customary for gentlemen to travel with body ser¬ vants and no one would desire to carry them through Pennsylvania, for fear of being deprived of them. The condition of Hagerstown and its streets began again to attract public attention. The streets were in a most desperate condition, and money was required to mend them. Whenever money was needed for any public purposes, whether to build a church or make streets, a lottery was deemed the best expedient for raising it. A town meeting was accordingly held to petition the Leg¬ islature for a lottery grant. Chapter 198 of the laws of 1847 changed the name of the town from Elizabeth Town to Hagerstown. It had not been known as Elizabethtown for many years. Every¬ one called it Hagerstown and it was thought best to make its legal name conform with its actual name. In the case of Funkstown, this was never done and to this day the legal name of the town is “Jerusalem” although but few persons know it. In writing deeds, lots are described as “lying in the town of Jerusalem, commonly called Funks¬ town.” Under authority of the act of 1847, North street in Hagerstown was opened and Locust and Mulberry streets continued northward to intersect it, Potomac street went off into the Leitersburg road. The completion of the turnpike to the Pennsylvania line was celebrated by a cotillion given by the contractors, Robert Fowler and F. 252 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD K. Zeigler. But the turnpike did not begin im¬ mediately at the northern limits of the town, and between the two was one of the worst pieces of road in the County. A great deal of heavy wagon¬ ing was done over this road from Pennsylvania and the rich section of the County lying between Hagerstown and the Pennsylvania line. A wagon stuck fast in the tenacious mire in the road be¬ tween “Way-idc” and the Reformed Church was no uncommon sight, and jack-screws were the only appliances by which it could be lifted from the mud. Since the building of the railroads which diverted travel from the Rational pike, Hagerstown had made no progress. On the con¬ trary, it had decreased in population. In 1840 there were 3,900 inhabitants and in 18-19 the number had decreased to 3,691. Of these, 600 were negroes—211 slaves and 389 free. This cen¬ sus was taken by Daniel P. Little, who was em¬ ployed by the town conunisisoners, receiving the sum of ten dollars for the service. But the spirit of enterprise was not entirely dead in the town. In 1817, Edwin Bell, the editor of the Torch Light, suggested the necessity of a public hall. Since the foundation of the town, there had been no other place for conven¬ tions for public meetings and for theatrical per¬ formances than the Court Hall, the room of the Town Council in the town hall and the ball-rooms of the taverns. Air. Bell pointed out the necess¬ ity for a commodious room to be used for such purposes. The project met with the approval of the people and the sum of $3,500 the amount deemed necessary, was quickly subscribed. A pub¬ lic meeting w T as held in January, 1818, of which Isaac Nesbit was chairman and Edwin Bell sec¬ retary. The proposed lots which -were suggested as sites for the hall give us some idea of the value of the town property sixty years ago. Four lot- were proposed. That of George I. Harry, which fronted 40 feet on Washington street was offered for $1300. The building would cost $3,300 in addition. The estimated rental of rooms under the hall was $250. This lot was finally selected. The second lot offered was owned by E. M. Healey. It fronted 75 feet, on Jonathan street, and had a depth of -15 feet. It was immediately in the rear of Mr. Mealey's residence and was offered for $600. The store-rooms at this location, it -was estimated, would rent for $212. The third lot was that of Mrs. Price, fronting 54 feet on Washington street, and this was offered at $1000. The other property was that of Peter Swartzwel- der, fronting 80 feet on the Square and extending ]j#k 4# feet on Washington street. This was the fine old residence of Gen. Heister which is now standing. The building could have been made suitable by an expenditure of $2,000. The price asked for this property was $4,000, and the store rooms under the hall would rent for $520 a year. This property, at the first meeting of stock¬ holders, was unanimously selected, but for some reason it was abandoned in favor of the Harry lot. The elaborate ceremonies used in laying the corner-stone of a building which was to cost but a little over $4,000 seems absurd, but it was rel¬ atively an important event. The building was begun by the laying of the corner-stone in Septem¬ ber, 1 848. by the Masons. The celebration was in charge of Col. George Schley, who was assisted by two aids, Matthew S. Barber and Dr. William Ragan. Judge Daniel Weisel delivered an oration and the Rev. Mr. Conrad offered a prayer. The long procession which moved is the site of the. proposed building and which stood around the corner-stone to listen to the oration, was made up of bands of music, several military companies, the Temperance Association, Odd Fellows, Free Masons, the clergy of the Town, the Mayor and Town Council, officers of the Lyceum Companj 7 , laborers and contractors, the Literary Association, the Franklin Debating Society, the Beneficial So¬ ciety, the Orphans’ Court, the representative in Congress and the delegates to the Legislature, the Hagerstown, Bench and Bar, teachers and children of the schools, citizens and strangers. The en¬ tire cost of the property was $5,500, the stock $3,600 leaving the difference a debt upon the com¬ pany. Matters of vastly greater importance were occurring, which attracted comparatively but little attention, because their importance was not un¬ derstood. The Legislature in 1847 gave a charter to the Western Union Telegraph Company, to con¬ struct a telegraph from Baltimore to Wheeling and provide for an office in Hagerstown. But it was not until Saturday, July 1, 1854, that the first telegram was taken from the old fashioned registering instrument by William D. Bell, son of the founder of the Torch Light, a lad in H. P. Augbinbaugh’s store, who was the first oper¬ ator. There was then a local telegraph company, of which J. Dixon Roman was the President, and William M. Marshall, M. S. Barber, Peter OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 253 Swartzwelder, Dr. Howard Kennedy and George W. Smith, were directors. In November, 1849, while the telegraph line was building, Edward M. Mealey & Co., who ran a line of stages between Hagerstown and Frederick, extended the Adams Express route to Hagerstown. Mr. Mealey’s little son, the present Edward W. Mealey, was the first agent. The Adams Express Company was a part¬ nership concern. Mr. Mealey was one of Adams’ first partners and became owner of some of the stock. Mr. Mealey and Mr. Adams became also strong personal friends, and the intimacy was kept up by Edward W. Mealey until the death of Mr. Adams. The most important of all events of the time of which I am writing was the establishment of free schools. Mention has already been made of the rejection by the people of the County of an opportunity for public education. In 1847, the Legislature enacted a law establishing free • schools in Washington County. Under this Act of Assembly the County Commissioners were em¬ powered to levy one cent on the hundred dollars for the support of the schools, to supplement the various funds which came ffom the State for this purpose. The schools were not to be absolutely free; each pupil had to pay one dollar a quarter for tuition. The board of School Commissioners was to consist of one member for each election district of the County, and these were to be ap¬ pointed by the County Commissioners. They were to appoint teachers, prescribe text-books, &c. But the act was not to become operative un¬ til ratified by the people. This was done, but not without bitter opposition. It was urged that a man had no more right to look to the public treasury for the education of his children than for their food and clothing. Of the nine districts of the County, Clearspring, Hancock, Cavetown and Pleasant Valley declared against free schools. But the measure was adopted by the County by a vote of 2,437 to 1,876. There were in the boxes no less than 50?' blank votes. Under this law the first Board of School Commissioners was organized in February, 1849 with Andrew Kershner, Presi¬ dent, William, II. Fitzhugh, secretary, and Abram Strite, Treasurer. During all these occurrences, political matters received their share of the public attention. The contest for Congress in 1845 was betwen Jacob Snively of Hancock, Whig, and Thomas Perry, Democrat. Snively carried Washington County by a vote of 2281 to 2271 for Perrv but Perry was elected by 099. The next Congressional elec¬ tion, that of 1847, was much more animated. J. Dixon Roman was the Whig candidate, and Ed¬ ward Shriver, of Frederick County, was the Dem¬ ocrat. The election of Governor and Assembly occurred in the same year. Wm. T. Goldsborough was the Whig candidate for Governor, and he was opposed by Philip F. Thomas. It was charged by the Whigs that the Democrats were in favor of repudiating the State debt, whilst the counter charge was that the Whigs favored a property qualification. The Democrats elected Thomas but the Whigs retained the Legislature. The Whigs also elected J. Dixon Roman to Congress. He carried Washington County by 150 majority. In the Whig victory. William T. Hamilton, who had been nominated for the House of Delegates although he led his ticket, was defeated by fifty votes. The year before was the first appearance of this remarkable man before the people. He had been elected to the Assembly in 1846, when he was tw-enty-six years of age, and had immediately taken position there in favor of the State’s paying its debts. In a political career of forty-two years, he became not only the most conspicuous figure in the County, but the leading public man in the State. The Whigs who were elected to the Legislature in that year were Isaac Motter, Heze. Boteler, Robert Fowler, George L. Zeigler and James Brays. Mr. Hamilton was on the ticket again in 1848, as candidate for elector favoring the election of Cass for President. According to the Whigs, the Democratic, or loco-foco, as they invariably called it, motto in this election was the three C’s—Cass, Cuba and California. The following year, 1849, Mr. Hamilton was nom¬ inated for Congress against General Thos. J. Mc- Kaig. The contest was bitter and personal. Joint discussions took place and the main question under discussion was the tariff. Mr. Hamilton handled it fearlessly, and although in age, influence and wealth his opponent had greatly the advantage of him, yet he more than held his own and met Gen. McKaig even among the miners of the coal regions which was considered then, as it is now, the stronghold of protection. Mr. Hamilton here gained that accurate and exhaustive knowledge of this subject which gave him the reputation dur¬ ing the remainder of his life of being the best informed man upon the tariff in the State. The 254 HISTORY AYl) BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Herald of Freedom in this campaign pronounced Hamilton the most ultra and uncompromising loco-foco in the United States. His personal ap¬ pearance on the stump was striking. He was lean and wiry, with hair an inch or two in length standing straight out upon his head. In his manner he was earnest and vehement, with a loud voice, which he had under imperfect control. General Melvaig was accused of being an aristo¬ crat—a charge most fatal to a politician in those days, and one of the most difficult to meet. The election was a great victory for Hamilton. He reversed the large Whig majority of the previous year, and carried Washington Comity by a vote of 2653 to 2556. In Allegany he had a majority of 38 and McKaig carried Frederick by 19 voles, To aid the Democratic party in these contestis “The Democracy” was estahlishetd in 18 id, by George W. Post, who had been the editor of the Courier and Enquirer, a paper which had given warm support to the nineteen “recusant” elecLors in 1836. In 1848 Dr. Thomas Schnefely founded “The Pledge,” a temperance paper. After a short editorship he was succeeded by Heard and Drury. In April, 1841, one of the most interesting citizens of Hagerstown died. John Kennedy be¬ longed to the Scotch-Irish stock, which has pro¬ duced so large a number of the best Aitietican citizens. He was born in Londonderry June 13, 1161, and came to America at the age of nineteen years. Fie first settled in Hew Castle, Delaware, and taught school. Then he came to Hagerstown, and found a friend in James Ferguson, oive of the leading merchants of the place, who gave him employment as clerk in his store. Plis brother Hugh then came over from Ireland, and after serv¬ ing as clerk to Mr. Ferguson for a time, the two Ivennedys, with Richard Ragan sitecurded (heir employer in business. Later, after the death of his parents, James Kennedy also came over and engaged in farming on a farm near Greencusile. After the partnership with Richard Ragan termi¬ nated, the firm was John and Hugh Kennedy. They transacted an enormous business, extending over the whole County.and as far West as the set¬ tlements reached. John Kennedy married Mary Wagoner, the daughter of John Wagoner, a farm¬ er who lived between Hagerstown and Funkstnwn. The couple had four children: Mrs. Sarah A. Price, the wife of Benjamin Price, lawyer; Louisa M„ wife of J. Dixon Roman ; John \\\, who mar¬ ried a daughter of Dr. Wm. McPherson of Fred¬ erick County; and James Hugh who married a (laughter of Col. Jacob Hollingsworth, and who was killed in the Carlisle riot. John Kennedy and Hugh Kennedy were among the founders of the old Presbyterian Church on South Potomac street, and John was a ruling elder during most of his life. Both were Presbyterians after the strictest manner—uncom¬ promising Calvinists in doctrine, and believers in the utmost simplicity of worship. They had no liking for Conventional Church architecture, and in building the Hagerstown church, the chimney Was made so conspicuous that it was known among the ungodly as “John Kennedy’s church with the chimney.” In this church, John Ken¬ nedy worshipped Sunday after Sunday. The tuning fork was the one musical instrument permitted in the church. It is related that once during a protracted illness, in his later years, Hugh Kennedy’s absence was taken advantage of to use a flute. The old gentleman, coming in (hiring service and while the singing was going on, did not hesitate to take possession of the flute and throw it with indignant scorn out of the window. Hugh Kennedv died unmarried in 1K35. The ftrsf Presbyterian minister to officiate in Washington County was the Rev. William Wil¬ liams. who has already been mentioned. He was sent out by the Welsh Presbyterian Mission¬ ary Society to the colony of Virginia, but being driven thence by the law against dissenters, he settled at Welsh Run. Between 1774 and 1817, the Re\. Thomas McPherrin, the Rev. Mr. Cald¬ well and the Rev. John Lind ministered in and around Hagerstown. In 1817. the old church on Smitl} Potomac street was completed, and John Kennedy, Joseph Gabby, Robert Douglas and John ItuberfwHl were ordained ' ruling elders. During the paslorafe of the Rev. Richard Wuiknop, there Was a division in the congregation, the seceding portion electing the Rev. Mr. Love, pastor. He held services in the Court House for a time. Later, while the Rev. John F. .McLaren was pas¬ tor of the church, lie and Mr. Love both resigned, and the severed congregation was united. This Mr. McLaren was the father of the late Episcopal Bishop of Chicago. In 1861, Victor Thompson died and left to the church the Bum of $5,000. A portion of it was used to put fhe iron ten.ee in front of the church OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 255 and the remainder was invested and subsequently used in the construction of the new church on the corner of Washington and Prospect streets. Hugh Kennedy devised to the congregation the handsome house opposite the church for a par¬ sonage, to be so used as long as the congregation continued to use exclusively in public worship Watts’ Version of the Psalms. In 1852, while Mr. Dunlap was pastor, by a vote of the congrega¬ tion it was decided to forfeit this property and to gain the privilege of singing other hymns and psalms. • The house -went to Hugh Kennedy’s heirs-at-law and by them it was sold to the church. The Presbyterians held their last service in the old building, a building in which Andrew Jackson and many of the distinguished men of former times had worshipped, on December 18, 1875. It was sold in 1878 to the Christian Church which now owns it. The beautiful stone church on Washington and Prospect streets was dedicated on Christmas day, 1875. The sermon on the occasion was preached by the Rev. J. T. Smith of Balti¬ more. The record of crimes about this time in¬ cludes that of Alex. Redman, who lived on the Mercersburg road three miles from Hagerstown. In 1818, this wretched man took his little son, his favorite child to a thicket and cut its throat and then returning to the house told his wife that he had committed the crime to prevent the child from coming to want. He then in her presence cut his own throat. Dr. Joseph S. Dellinger was shot from his horse in Waynesville, Mo., in 1818, by a man named Horrell. He was a son of Henry Dellinger of Washington County, and had studied with Doctors Smith arid Van Lear of Williamsport. In consequence of an injury one of his legs was amputated, and for that reason he abandoned the study of medicine, and went to Ohio, where he studied law with Thomas Ewing, and afterwards in Hagerstown with Alexander Neill, and gradu¬ ated in the Law Department of Dickinson Col¬ lege. He then went to Cole County, Mo., and returned to the practice of medicine. * A trial which attracted great attention in this county was that of Jesse D. E. Quantrell which took place in Cumberland in the spring of 1819. This noted criminal was the son of brave Captain Quantrell, who had led a company from Washing-ton County to fight the British in 1812. He had the advantage of a handsome per¬ son and prepossing manners. His first public exploit was a desperate election fight in the Square in Hagerstown with a man named Rus¬ sell, whom he stabbed and nearly killed. He married Miss Lane of 'Hagerstown and went to live in Williamsport. In a short time he was ar¬ rested and sent to jail upon a charge of obtaining the benefit of the insolvent laws through perjury. His wife followed him to jail, and there remained six months until his trial, when he was acquitted. He then went West and committed a number of forgeries, for which he was sent to the peniten¬ tiary in St. Louis and Cincinnati. In both in¬ stances he was released, through the exertions of his faithful wife whom he had shamefully abused in the meantime. Coming east, he was sentenced to the penitentiary in one of the counties of Pennsylvania for three years for forgery. Then the patience of his wife gave out and she listened to the advice of her friends and got a divorce. When Quantrell’s term was out he married another woman, committed another forgery and was sent to the penitentiary of Pennsylvania for seven years. During this time he began sending threat¬ ening letters to Mr. Samuel L. King, his brother- in-law, declaring that if his wife re-married he would Mil her. She did marry Mr. A. Cowton, a tavern keeper in Cumberland, and there the couple lived honored and respected. In 1819, Quantrell’s term in prison having expired, he came to Cumberland and in the absence of Mr. Cowton made a violent assault upon Mrs. Cowton, whom he threw to the floor, and would have killed her, but the pistol missed fire. Whilst he was preparing to accomplish the murder with a knife, the unfortunate woman was rescued from her peril by a number of men who broke into the room, of which Quantrell had locked the door. For this offence he was sent to the county jail for five years and fined five hundred dollars. After serving a half of his term, he was pardoned and began a career of crime which only ended with the Civil War in which he, engaged as a bush¬ whacker. It is said that he married no less than six respectable woriien during this time—all liv¬ ing at once. .But the most curious crime was one which is mentioned by Dickens in his American Notes. One of two curious cases he mentions having en¬ countered in the Maryland penitentiary “was that of a man who once went to a certain distiller’s and stole a copper measure containing a quantity 256 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of liquor. He was pursued and taken with the property in his possession and was sentenced to two years imprisonment. On coming out of jail at the expiration of that term, he went back to the same distiller's and stole the same copper measure, containing the same quantity of liquor. There was not the slightest reason to suppose that the man wished to return to prison; indeed every¬ thing but the commission of the offence, made directly against that assumption. There are only two ways of accounting for this extraordinary proceeding. One is, that after undergoing so much for this copper measure, he conceived he had established a sort of claim and right to it. The other that, by dint of long tliinking about it had become a monomania with him, and had ac¬ quired a fascination which he found it impossible to resist; swelling from an Earthly Copper Gallon into an Ethereal Gallon Yat.” This man was named Miller, and the distillery from which he stole the measure was that of Joseph Gabby in Washington County. Nor did the matter end here, for after Miller had sersd his second term of two years, he stole the measure containing whis¬ key the third time. This time the grand jury declined to indict him—deeming the man insane. This was in March 1849. About this time the people of the County were much engaged in improvements in their methods of farming. In 1848 Samuel II. Little of Hagerstown invented a grain separator which he claimed could thresh and clean ready' for the mill, two hundred bushels of wheat in a day. The first one he made was for Henry Petre and this was, 1 believe, the first af tempt in the County to thresh and clean grain in a single operation. Between 1847 and 1849, Grain Drills or “Drillers” came into use in the County. The first were made in Hagerstown by Watkins and Heyser, who sold them at $60 each. The first to use this machine, which is now as necessary on a Washington County farm as a plow, and among the first to use and urge his neighbors to use bone fertilizer on wheat, was Dr. Thomas Maddox of the Tilghmanton Dis¬ trict. This distinguished agriculturist descended from a sister of Thomas Notely, a Proprietary Governor of Maryland; he was bom in St. Mary's County in 1810. He practised medicine in Louis¬ ville i'or some years, but in 1845 returned to Ht. Mary’s. He married Mary Priscilla Claggett of Frederick County, granddaughter of Bishop Thomas John Claggett, of Maryland. In 1848, he bought a portion of the Tilghman estate and became a citizen of Washington County. From that time until his death, in March, 1887, he was one of the most conspicuous farmers in the County, ready to experiment in new methods and appliances in agriculture and bringing to his fa write pursuit deep thought and profound study. It is probable that no man in the County ever did more to advance the interests of agriculture and to increase the yield of lands than he. Later, Governor William T. Hamilton became an enthu¬ siastic farmer and did much in the same interest. In 1858 Dr. Higgins, the State Chemist, was in Washington County, and after analysing the soil in various places, recommended the use of bone rather than lime. Dr. Maddox at this time used 300 pounds of bone, 70 pounds of Peruvian Guano, and a bushel of salt to the acre. At this time it is believed that the use of phosophates on wheat is not only necessary to promote growth, but to make it ripen early. But in 1848, when only a very few persons used it, the harvest began early in J une and by the twenty-first of the month a fourth of the whole crop had been harvested. The gen¬ eral interest in agriculture found expression in 1848 in a meeting which was held in the Court House in November, to form an agricultural so¬ ciety. Over this meeting Jacob Hollingsworth presided. In January following, an organization was effected by the election of the following offi¬ cers : President, Thomas Keller; Secretaries, George French and Col. William H. Fitzhugh; Treasurer, John Van Lear. In 1853 John W. Breathed cut his crop with one of Hussey’s reapers. Although the McCor¬ mick’s reapers w#S: at this time common in the West, this machine was a curiosity in Washing¬ ton County. It was boasted that it cut cleaner than cradles, fifteen or twenty acres in a da}’, and required eight or ten hands to attend it. The shipment of agricultural and other products by canal to Georgetown had assumed large propor¬ tions. During the boating season of 1848, the shippers of Williamsport forwarded to Georgetown 61,390 barrels of flour, 3,158 bushels of wheat, 1,000 bushels of corn, 1,057 barrels of whiskey be¬ sides immense quantities of lime, hoop poles and lumber. The up freight consisted principally of salt and fish. Late in 1848, reports of the discovery of gold in California began to reach Hagerstown and it was not long before the excitement ran high. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 257 Stories of fortunes made by a turn of a hand, or by the finding of a nugget created a general desire among young men of adventurous spirits to seek their fortunes in that golden land. We must not underrate the magnitude of the enterprise of the “Forty N biers." Now we can get into a Pullman car on Monday morning, and after a pleasant trip of four days, enjoying on the road all the luxuries that comfortable beds, handsome parlor cars, de¬ lightful meals and a varied scenery can furnish, land in San Francisco, a city as highly civilized as New York. In 1849 the conditions were vastly different. The shortest route to the Golden Gate was five thousand five hundred miles, the longest and most common seventeen thousand, and the price of a first class ticket by either route was $320. If the former route was selected by the “Argounauts” the time of the journey was from two to four months and in addition to the fatigue of a journey upon horseback across Mexico to the Pacific, or a ride upon a mule across the Isthmus, they had to encounter the dangers from organized bands of brigands in that then lawless country. By the longer route, the estimated time in which to make the journey was six months, and it might last much longer. Added to the tedium of so prodigious a journey were the perils of doubling Cape Horn in a sailing vessel. But the worst awaited the seeker for gold when he arrived in the new country. The Government was provisional, and among the people to be governed were the most lawless from many lands. But two years before, California had been in possession of the Aboriginal Indian and the sleepy Spaniard, living in adobe huts and not dreaming of the wealth which the surface of the earth took no pains to conceal. The Forty Niner who landed at San Francisco from the vessel which could not reach the shore over the mud flats, beheld a scene to be witnessed no where else upon the whole earth. Here was a settlement composed of hastily built houses, some of brick, some wooden shanties, some of sheet iron, and many tents, jumbled together in amazing confusion. Inhabiting these dwellings, or sleeping at night on the lee side of them, was a motley assemblage of all sorts and conditions of men—the lawyer, the college-graduate, the soldier, the miner, the trapper, and all carried away by the craze of' speculation and gambling. Some of the brightest men of the country were there, and some of the most reckless and daring. Among them human life had but little value, and gold was only valued for its use in gambling and spec¬ ulating. Great sums would change hands in trans¬ actions which seemed frenzy. In the midst of the town was a large clap board structure of the rudest and most temporary character. This was the gambling house, and in it was collected day and night a throng in the wildest state of excite¬ ment, drinking bad whiskey and winning or losing upon the turn of a card, thousands of dollars worth of gold dust which would be piled upon the table with scales to weigh it out. The new arrival had to take without delay some steps to replenish his store of funds, for the hard earned money which he brought from the east was quickly exhausted by the prices he had to pay—fpE dollars for a breakfast, four dollars for a shave, fifty dollars for a pair of boots or sixty dollars • for a pair of gum boots which the deep mud of the streets rendered absolutely necessary—these were sample prices. Some bold adventurers from Wash¬ ington County took the overland route by Inde¬ pendence for the golden land, and tramped three thousand miles across the continent through the unsettled plains and the trackless defiles of the Rocky Mountains. In March, 1849, a party of thirty of these gold seekers left Shepherdstown, and with them was J. McClelland Miller, of Boonsboro. A few days later, George E. Stonebraker, Silas S, Rohrer and Pembroke B. Showman, of Pleasant Valley, accompanied a large party from Charlestown, Va., on the overland route. Col. J. C. Fremont was all this time exploring in the Rocky Mountains and on the Pacific Coast. In his party was Henry Rohrer, of Washington County. He, with nine others, was lost in the snow in the mountains and perished. John Freaner and the Baechtels—• the latter members of the Baltimore and Frederick Mining and Trading Company, left Baltimore on the Schooner “Creole” in May. This party was well equipped with mills, machinery, tents and other appliances. But the first to depart in 1849 was Edwin Bell, the young editor of the Torch Light. He took leave of his friends and left Ha¬ gerstown Jan. 17. Edwin Bell was born in Ha¬ gerstown December 24, 1819. He had studied law with William Price, and had entered the bar. But since 1841, he had also been engaged in the office of the Torch Light. In that year, he be¬ came associated with his father as editor and after his death succeeded him. When he left for California, his brother-in-law, William Motter, 258 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD afterwards Judge, conducted the paper until it war- sold by Mrs. Bell, who owned it, to Mittag and Sneary, in August, 1851. Mr. Bell went, to Baltimore and engaged passage on the ship “Nylon.” Finding that this vessel was not to sail until the third of February, he spent the intervening time in Washington, where he met with the representative in Congress from this district. James Dixon Roman, and ob¬ tained letters of introduction from Gales and Beaton the editors of the National Intelligencer, and Col. Albert. Chief of the Topographical Bu¬ reau, to Col. Mason the Military Governor of California. Col*. Thomas H. Benton gave him a letter to his son-in-law. General John C. Fremont, then the most important personage on the Pacific Coast, together with Gen. Fremont’s account of his explorations. When ilM ship “Nylon” weighed anchor off Fell’s Point there was a great concourse of people to see her off and the last face Mr. Bell recognized was that of John Freaner, and it Was John Freaner who greeted him upon landing at Ban Francisco. He had suddenly determined to go after Mr. Bell's departure and taking the shorter route arrived before him. The Xylon put in at Rio Jeneiro, and here charges were made by some of the passengers against the cap¬ tain. The IT. S. consul undertook to try him and after a long trial he was removed and the vessel put in charge of another captain. During the progreswpf tile investigation the passengers amused themselves in the city and some of them indulged in pranks which would have subjected them to serious penalties hut for the leniency of Dom Pedro who treated them with marked politeness and consideration. The next stop was at Valparaiso, and on the 14th of September the Nylon passed through the “Golden Gate.” In California, Mr. Bell first en¬ gaged in the practice of law. There was a little log school-house which was used as a Court House, and in it cases of great magnitude, involving im¬ mense sums Of: money, were tried. It was not long, howover, before lie drifted hack into journ¬ alism. He first took a position as reporter for the San Francisco Daily Herald, published by John Nugent, then as city editor of the same paper. Tie resigned this place to become associated with B. F. Washington and Jos. E. Lawrence', as pro¬ prietor of the San Francisco Daily Placer, Times and Transcript, of which paper Mr. Bell was the managing editor. After awhile he retired from this position to take the general editorship of the Sacramento Daily Union. In his work, he distin¬ guished himself by his opposition to all kinds of jobbery and corruption in the Legislature and by his active and fearless campaign against the Vig- ilence Committee party. In taking this stand, he did admirable service to the State, and gained for himself a high reputation for purity and bravery. In 1858, Mr. Bell left California and return¬ ed to the east across Mexico. He then went to St. Louis, as eastern correspondent of the Alta California and the Sacramento Union. At that time, the telegraph line was extending westward from St. Louis and eastward from San Francisco, and Secretary Floyd had established the pony ex¬ press to transmit news and letters through the intervening space. The news from Europe came by steamer to Cape Race, from which point the agent of the Associated Press sent it throughout the country. Mr. Bell was an intimate friend of J. C. StebMns, the superintendent of the Tel¬ egraph Company, and from him obtained the monopoly of the news for the Pacific Coast. About this time, in April I860, the fight between Heenan, "the Bcnecia Boy” and Sayers, the English cham¬ pion, took place in England, and the news of this encounjes was awaited with the most intense inter¬ est and excitement, stimulated of course by reck- teg, betting upon the result. The steamer “Van¬ derbilt.” which brought the news, made a remark¬ ably quick voyage, and Mr. Stebbins procured for 51 r. Bell the press account of the fight. This was telegraphed from St. Louis to the end of the line: Just as the report was about half taken down by the operator, he telegraphed back to Mr. Bell that the pony express was ready to start. The order came back to detain the messenger with oysters at Mr. Bell’s expense. This was done and when the Vnimi and the Alla California published the news it was deemed impossible to have received it in so short a time. Days afterwards, when the account was confirmed there was a great triumph for the two papers. In 1867, Mr. Bell purchased a third interest in the Hagerstown Mail, and was until lifi one of the editors of that paper, making it a paper of high standing and great influence in the State. It was mainly through his influence that the AYestorju Maryland railroad was extended to Hagerstown at the time it was, and the same influence has always been exerted in the cause of good government and proper enterprises. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 259 For many years, an old soldier of 1776 came down to Hagerstown from his home in South Mountain once a month to draw his pension. This was old John Barnheiser, who died in Quincy, in June 1849, at the age of a hundred and six years—probably the very last of the men of ’76. Martin Reckon attained to an even greater age. He was a native of Germany, and lived a solitary life at the top of the mountain near Clearspring; he died in December, 1857, at the age of one hundred and six years and eleven months. He boasted that he had voted at every Presidential election from Washington to Buchanan inclusive. In 1855, Joseph Keenan died at the Alms House at the age of a hundred and six years. He was born in Scotland in March, 1749. The first steps to establish,a Lutheran Female Seminary were taken in the Maryland Synod in 1849. The building was completed in 1853, and the first class graduated in 1857, the Rev. Mr. Baughman being the Principal. In 1865, the property was purchased by Charles W. Hum- richouse, who sold it to the Rev. C. M. Keedy m 1875. It is now successfully conducted, the num¬ ber of students being generally large. The building of the Franklin railroad to Hagerstown gave considerable concern to the peo¬ ple of Baltimore. As soon as the cars were run¬ ning between Chambersburg and Philadelphia, the Baltimore papers began to complain that the trade from the West was diverted to Philadelphia. Passengers from the West, when they reached Hagerstown left the National road and went to Chambersburg and thence to Philadelphia where the merchants bought their goods. Then at the same time the canal had been opened to Hancock and there the products of the West, which had theretofore gone to Baltimore, were loaded on boats and found a market at Georgetown. In the same manner almost the entire trade of Wash¬ ington County, along with that of Franklin and Cumberland Counties left Baltimore, and now after the lapse of more than a half century has not been fully restored. This diversion of trade from Baltimore in 1839 gave infinite satisfaction to the people of Washington County. The violation by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, which was considered identical with the city, of its con¬ tract to build its road through Hagerstown, and the remission by the. Legislature of the penalty of one million of dollars which the Company agreed to forfeit to the County should the contract be violated, had exasperated the people of Washing¬ ton County to the last degree. It looked to them like a piece of deliberate chicanery, to obtain the votes of the Washington County delegation in the Legislature, necessary for the passage of the bill authorizing the State to subscribe a large sum to the road, and then to violate the agreement. It was whilst this feeling of resentment prevail¬ ed that the Pennsylvania Company made overtures Williamsport had the first opportunity. On the 6th of April, 1839, the Franklin Company passed a resolution offering to extend the road to that town, upon condition that, on or before the 1st of May the people of the town would subscribe for two hundred shares of the capital stock— equal to ten thousand dollars—and such further amount as would pay for the right of way in a direct line from Mason and Dixon’s line to the town. In the event of the failure to embrace this offer, then Hagerstown should be the terminus upon condition of subscribing to four hundred shares and such further amount as would secure the right of way. This proposition was eagerly embraced by Hagerstown. The Legislature, in 1838, had given authority to the Moderator and Commissioners to take the stock and make a loan to raise the money to pay for it. They could not wait until Williamsport’s option had expired, but on the. 22nd of April an order was passed accepting the terms. The Hagerstown papers then boasted that the County would now be inde¬ pendent of Baltimore and her railroad. That city had driven them away and they would seek an alliance with the strangers to whom they had been driven by their friends. Besides this, another avenue to me east would, it was confidently expected, soon be opened to the town. The Gettysburg railroad, or the Tape Worm, as it was more familiarly known, had been graded to the summit of South Mountain and the sum of $750,000 had been spent on it. The distance from the place which was then its term¬ inus to Hagerstown was but fifteen miles. It required no great powers of calculation, urged the Torch Light, to demonstrate that this chasm of fifteen miles in a railroad communication from Philadelphia to the Western Waters, will not re¬ main unfilled, when it shall be, as it will be, the only broken link in the long and important chain of railroad communication between Wheeling and Pittsburg in the West and Philadelphia in the East, via Gettysburg and. York. Fifty-one years 260 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD after this time, when the work which hacl been done at this heavy cost was almost obliterated by trees twelve, inches in diameter, and people had only a tradition of the work, were rails laid upon it—many years after the “chasm of fifteen miles” had been filled by the tracks of the Western Mary¬ land road. This Gettysburg road was graded un¬ der the direction of Thaddeus Stevens at the ex¬ pense of the State of Pennsylvania, and the pop¬ ular theory has always been that Stevens did this work in order to employ a large number of men whom he could thus influence to vote for his candi¬ date for Governor. But it is more than probable that this was incidental to the main plan of mak¬ ing a link in a great Western route. On the third of February, 1841, the first train of cars was pulled into the Hagerstown ter¬ minus of the Franklin Railroad, by the locomotives “Washington” and “Franklin.” The train, it was said, was made up of large and elegant cars, filled with volunteers and visitors from Franklin County. the train drew up to the terminus of the road in Hagerstown, it was received with acclama¬ tions by a large gathering of citizens. The visi¬ tors from Franklin County, among whom were the Chambersburg Artillerists, the Franklin Blues and the St. Thomas Artillerists, all under com¬ mand of Major Gilmore, paraded the streets of Hagerstown. Captain Robertson’s company of Hagerstown Riflemen joined in the procession. In the meantime the train of cars was running backwards and forwards to Greencastle earning delighted passengers who had never before seen or travelled upon a train of cars. On the 21th of February. 18-fi, the first advertisement of a time table for the running of trains was given to the public. Two trains left Philadelphia daily the first at 1 a. m. which arrived at Hagerstown at 6 p. m. the same day, and the second at 8 a. m. This train reached Chambersburg at 10 p. m. where it remained until 3 a. m. arriving in Hag¬ erstown at 5 a. m.—making the time consumed in the. trip equal ter about ten miles per hour. One train loft Hagerstown at 6 p. m. arriving in Chambersburg at 7:30, leaving Chambersburg at 1 a. m., and arriving in Philadelphia about 5 p. m. The other train left Hagerstown at 5 a. m. ♦Correspondence of the Bloomfield Advocate. Harrisburg, Aug. 29, 1854. The Franklin Rail Road, &c. Mr. Sheibley:—According to promise I herewith furnish you with a brief description of our trip to and reached Philadelphia about 10 p. m. On Saturdays, there was a train of “pleasure cars” which plied backwards and forwards between Chambersburg and Hagerstown. This time table did not continue long. Whetn- er from lack of business or from bad management the road did not pay, traffic diminished and the physical condition grew very bad. In 1849 it became burdened with debt, and was sold at public auction by Sheriff Daniel South. Andrew Kersh- ncr and George W. Henry obtained a judgment against it, and to satisfy this judgment the entire road, including the right of way for six miles, its tracks, franchises, movable property and two lots in Hagerstown were “knocked down” to Col. George Schley for the sum of six hundred dollars. The original cost of the property had been about fifty thousand. There was much speculation about the disposition the purchaser would make of the property. One of the editors supposed that the best tiling would be to sell the rails to the black¬ smiths and give the right of way back to the farm¬ ers through whose lands it passed. But this in¬ telligent advice was not followed. Col. Seliley sold the road to parties who ran it for awhile as a horse tram way. The road was laid with wooden rails, protected by strap iron nailed along the upper surface for ilie wheels to run upon. What was known as “snake’s heads” caused many acci¬ dents. The end of a piece of strap iron would get loosened from its fastening; the car wheel would run under, instead of over it, and the end of the iron would force itself through the floor of the car. Travel Over the Franklin Railroad during its existence as a tram yrby was primitive. An old horse was bitched to a truck about fifteen feet m length, with boards across it upon which the passengers sat with no support for their backs and the covering over it was too low to sit upright under it with any comfort. If there had been a heavy rain, passengers had to be rejected. Fre¬ quently the “coach” ran off the track or the wheels slipped down between the rails.* An effort to revive the road again was made in 1833, and in that year the Legislature enacted a law authorizing the relaying of the track with Hagerstown. From Harrisburg to Chambersburg, (a distance of 52 miles,) we passed through one of the richest and most fertile valleys in Pennsylvania.—- Chambersburg is truly a neat and handsome town The Cumberland Valley railroad company has here OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 263 iron rails. Under the authority of the Act, the road was put up for sale on the 15th of June, 1833, the six miles lying in Maryland m:m sold to John N. Hutchinson for $5,000. The condition of the sale was that the purchaser should relay the rails on the road and adapt it to steam power within eighteen months of the ratification of the sale. The requirement was not observed, and the trustees, after due notice, again offered the prop¬ erty at public sale; on the 24th day of July 1855, they sold it to the Chambersburg, Greencastle and Hagerstown Railroad Company for the sum of $600. This sale was ratified September 3, 1855. The condition of the sale was that the purchaser should commence relaying the rails within two months. Up to December no movement had been made looking to carrying out this condition. In the meantime Hagerstown was without adequate communication and the people were greatly ag¬ grieved over the closing of the railroad. A public meeting was held in December, which sent a peti¬ tion to the Legislature, asking that the sale be set aside and the road resold. An Act was ac¬ cordingly passed directing the sale of the road and naming J. Dixon Roman. Thomas Harbine and Leander McKee, trustees to make the sale. The. purchaser was' to begin laying rails within sixty days after the ratification of the sale, and to have at least one mile completed within four months. The purchasers, after complying with these conditions, were declared a body corporate tinder the name of the Franklin Railroad Com¬ pany, with authority to extend the railroad to the south and to cross the Potomac river at any point between Hancock and Knoxville. This privilege was not used until 1873, when the Martinsburg a large machine shop and engine house; these, to¬ gether with several warehouses in the vicinity of the depot, make it quite a stirring place. From Chambersburg to Hagerstown, the only public means of conveyance, we were informed, was the great Franklin railroad—this of course is suffic¬ ient (?) for all practical purposes. The management of trains on this road is entirely different from any we ever “hearn tell on.” So here goes for a descrip¬ tion: We were informed “Car time” had arrived, and soon found ourselves safely deposited in the Express “train—starting regularly every day at 10 o’clock for Hagerstown.” The locomotive consists of a real bona fide “Old Grey Mare,” who, to appearance, was in the same dilemma “Old Uncle Ned” found himself: Having “No more teeth for to eat de—oats So he had to leave de—oats go.” Attached to her was the car, though to use a more appropriate term—a Gipsey waggon. It is simply a truck, with boards laid across for seats, without any support to rest against; and the covering so low as not to admit of sitting upright. In fact, to ride in this machine is punishment worse than a crowded stage coach. This train, (fully fifteen feet in length,) was controlled entirely by a real clever fellow, who per¬ formed the duty of engineer, fireman, brakeman, conductor, mail agent, and everything else belonging to an Express train. After the passengers were seated, (two all told,) the train started off at a speed which forcibly reminded us of an anecdote, that happened on this road several years ago, the circumstances of which were as follows: The train was going along at the usual speed, when it was overtaken by an unfortunate individual with a wood¬ en leg. The conductor hailed him with “Hello! won’t you take a ride? No sir, I thank you, I am in a hurry,” was the reply. This fully illustrates the speed of the trains on this famous Franklin railroad. The road is entirely out of repair, and serious acci¬ dents frequently happen in consequence of the de¬ cayed siils on which the rails are fastened. Some¬ times the car runs off the track, and sometimes slips between; but as yet no loss of life has been the There is now a road in contemplation from George¬ town, D. C., to Hagerstown, via Frederick. Should this be built, we hope to see the Franklin road re- laid. It might be made profitable, for Hagerstown numbers now about four thousand inhabitants, and this is their only public outlet. In its present con¬ dition it is a nuisance, and a shame to the commun¬ ity through which it passes—asking, as they do, from $80 to $100 per acre for their land. The country around Hagerstown is rich, fertile, and well cultivat¬ ed. being an excellent wheat and corn growing dis¬ trict, though the latter crop this season is almost an entire failure, on account of the excessive drought. Destruction seems to have swept everything before it, and scarcity following after. Corn is now selling in Hagerstown at $1.25 per bushel, and potatoes at $2.00 per bushel, and scarce at that. Hagerstown is beautifully ornamented with shade trees, and con¬ tains many fine Churches, in one of which the Rev. Mr. Gans, (formerly of Bloomfield,) preaches to a large congregation. The people are also well sup¬ plied with music.—Heyser’s brass band perform, every-Saturday evening in the public square, and in addition, the slaves have a brass band, and the way the “darkies” discourse music is a caution to aboli¬ tionists. We left Hagerstown yesterday morning in the cars, and again had two passengers, being forced to leave six or eight behind on account of the heavy rain the previous night. At length we arrived at Chambersburg, and from thence to this place again, on the Cumberland Valley railroad. Whenever we come across anything similar to that Franklin rail¬ road ,we will again inform you of it. Yours, &c., B. 264 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD and Potomac railroad, crossing tie river at Palling Waters and uniting Hagerstown with Martinsburg, was opened to the public. In 1889, a further ex¬ tension from Martinsburg to Winchester was made. In March, 18.51, the interest of Hutchinson & Co. in the Franklin railroad was sold to the Cumber¬ land Valley Company for $30,000 and at the same time that part of the Franklin road which lay in Franklin County was sold to Dull, Jones and Worral for $5,900. In August, 1859, the road from Hagerstown to Chambersburg was quietly re-opened, twenty-seven years after its first open¬ ing. Since then its career has been distinguished by success and model management. During the Civil War it performed important service to the Government by bringing supplies to the army. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 265 CHAPTER XVII OR the best part of seventy years one of the most conspicuous figures in Washington County was Dr. Frederick Dorsey. He was probably known to a greater propor¬ tion of the people of the County than any other person who ever lived in it. No man ever lived who was more thoroughly identified with a com¬ munity. He was better beloved by a large portion of his people than any other man. It is certain that no one was ever a more familiar topic of con¬ versation, or has been the subject of more anec¬ dotes, even down to this time; and he has been in his grave nearly half a century. Frederick Dorsey was born in what is now Howard County in the year lPH, in a house that is still standing. He was well educated, and in early life removed to Washington County, where he spent the remain¬ der of his days in the active pursuit of his pro¬ fession, and, died October, 1S58, in the house in which he had lived since his marriage, at the ad¬ vanced age of eighty-four years. He continued in active practice up to the hour of his last illness, a period of over sixty years, and, what is a most unprecedented circumstance, was associated in practice, at the time of his death,' with his son, Dr. Clagett Dorsey, and his grandson, Dr. Frederick Dorsey, Jr. When he died it' was said of him that “he had lived through the American Revolution. He had watched the progress of the revolutionary and bloody history of France. He had beheld the brilliant yet terrible career of Napoleon. He had shaken hands with Washing¬ ton, an event of itself sufficient to honor any grave; and such was his vivid recollection of the circumstance, that the impress of that grasp ting¬ led upon his fingers to his last days. Jefferson was his idol. Rush was his friend and preceptor. Clay, Rochester, Pindall, the Fitzhughs, the Barnes, the Ringgolds, the Tilghmans, the Masons, the Lawrences, the Hughes, the Spriggs, the Carrolls, the Buchanans, the Kershners, were his early, intimate friends. . "He had seen this lovely County, now so set¬ tled, arise from a wild and uninhabited prairie. He had witnessed in succession the pack-horse give way for the common wagon—then the stage-coach, then the locomotive and the telegraph. The single footpath, which constituted the only highway to the West, he had seen yield to the county road, then the turnpike, and finally the railroad.” When as a boy he had ridden into Elizabeth¬ town he had reached what was almost the western limit of civilization. When he died, the “Star of Empire” had taken its course westward across the great plains, the Rocky Mountains to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Dr. Frederick Dorsey possessed a remarkable combination of eccentricities and virtues. Benev¬ olence, truth, fidelity, cheerfulness and unfailing animal spirits were traits, each of which seemed to be pre-eminent. Added to these were a remark¬ able memory, great conversational powers and great physical endurance, which enabled him to perform labors that seemed well nigh miracu¬ lous. Dr. Nathaniel Potter pronounced him the best judge of pulse he ever knew. He was a natural surgeon and had performed operations which were reported in text books as showing mar¬ velous skill. In mid-wifery he was pre-eminent, and had officiated upon eleven thousand occasions. 266 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD It is needless to relate that he held firmly to the faith of his times in blood-letting and the use of calomel. A gentleman of Hagerstown, who was supposed to be in the last stages of consump¬ tion, had been at Baltimore to consult eminent physicians, but had returned without hope. Dr. Dorse)' saw him at last. His opinion was gruffly expressed in these brief words—“About a pound of calomel will bare you—your liver, and not your lungs, is diseased.” And calomel did cure him. Happening to be in Philadelphia, he was sent for to see his friend, the late Mr. Savage, who was suffering with a severe fit of the gout. He inquired, and was told the treatment Mr. Savage was undergoing by his Philadelphia physican. Looking over his spectacles with a mingled ex¬ pression of surprise and contempt, and repeating in slow and measured terms the prescription—“5 grains of sup. carb. soda every two hours,” he added, "here, tala* this to-night, 20 grains of calo¬ mel, and to-morrow morning 40 grains of jalap,” which were to be followed by other medicines no less potent. Before the week had passed Mr. Savage was on the street, and being asked by a friend the cause of his rapid improvement, replied: “Old Dorsey, of Hagerstown, took me through a threshing machine, and if that don’t take the gout of a man’s bones, God knows what will.” Nor did he fail to show his faith by his works, for it is an uncontraverted fact that when he had the cholera in 1H52, he administered to himself more than two hundred grains of calomel in less than twelve hours. Dr. Dorsey had studied medicine with Dr. Richard Pindell, and had begun his professional career in partnership with that celebrated physic- • ian, but he was not a regular graduate of any medical college, although he had attended a course of lectures. The University of Maryland conferr¬ ed upon him the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1K2L But twenty rears before this he had re¬ ceived a diploma of honorary membership of the Philadelphia Medical Society, He had an enor¬ mous practice, and “the extent of the country over which ho rode almost daily, would now appear in¬ credible. In the early history of this County the people were subject to most malignant bilious epi¬ demics, At this: period, he had almost the exclus¬ ive practice of this town and adjacent country, for twenty miles around. lie would often make a circuit from 60 to 80 miles in twenty-four hours. On a single day, in his country practice, he visited and prescribed fpr as high as one hundred and ciyhlii patients. On his last birth day he rode on horseback upwards of twenty-five miles. For upwards of forty days immediately preceding his mother’s death, he saw her every day, notwith¬ standing she lived 6 miles below Frederick, a dis¬ tance of 32 miles from Hagerstown, and attended to his other practice besides. During this very period, too, he had a patient in Chambersburg, 20 miles distant, whom he occasionally saw.” For thirty-seven years he made these remarkable jour¬ neys on the back of his old horse “Charlie” which was as remarkable in his way as the Doctor in his higher sphere. “Charlie” died in 1857, at the remarkable age of 44 years and six months. Dr. Dorsey was a member of the Episcopal Church, a vestryman for many years, and the chief supporter of St. John’s Parish; but this did not prevent him from being devotedly fond of fox hunting, as why should it? of horse-racing although he did not bet, and of cock-fighting. Of this latter sport, although a most humane man, he was an enthusiastic follower and frequently made a quizzical mixture of it with his works of charity and duties as vestryman. There are but few of the older citizens of Hagerstown who are not familiar with numerous anecdotes of this re¬ markable man. This sketch of him would be in¬ complete without the record of some of them. Shortly after his death. Judge John Thompson Mason delivered a lecture upon his life and char¬ acter to a large gathering in St. John’s Lutheran (Tamil. From that masterly discourse I have gathered the facts here given, and have freely quoted from it. I cannot refrain from giving the following anecdotes gathered from the same source: YNo man was fonder of good eating, yet no one was oftener required to put up with what was bad, or had his appetitie subjected to severer tests. On one occasion, after a hard ride, he was invited to partake of a homely meal. His over¬ kind hostess discovering that his knife was not as clean as it might have been, deliberately, in his presence, ticked il. that she might wipe it cleaner. “But once his stomach did quail. He had tapped a woman with dropsy and measured the water drawn from her in a pint howl furnished for the pbr] lose. After he had finished the oper¬ ation, lie was asked to supper. About to refresh himself with a drink of the milk set before him, OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 267 to his horror he discovered it was contained in the identical vessel with which he had a few mo¬ ments before been made so familar, under such different circumstances. “Many years ago a gentleman from Virginia made us, as he frequently did, a visit. He had met Dr. Dorsey often at Montpelier, but did not know him intimately. Among the first remarks he made upon his arrival, was that our old physic¬ ian was a queer man. “Why,” said he, “I met him today below Sharpsburg, with a bag swung across his horse, balanced with a game cock in one end and a jug in the other.” Upon being asked what it meant, the Doctor responded, “only a jug of gruel prepared by my wife for one of my poor patients; and as for the cock, I intend to stop at Sharpsburg as I return, where I expect to meet Harrison from Martinsburg, and we are to have a round. I shall whip him certainly,” he continued, “as I never had one of my brass-backs whipped in a fair fight.” “On one occasion, for nine days and nights, so pressing were his professional engagements, that he never went to bed. On the tenth he presided, as Chief Judge, at the great race between the famous horses Industry and Bachelor, and was the merriest man on the ground. “He told many marvelous stories and anec¬ dotes which created great amusement amongst his friends. “He once had a very fleet horse, and to illus¬ trate'his pre-eminence in this respect, he used to ' tell, in sober seriousness, the following story: On one occasion, he said, soon after leaving Clear- spring, a summer’s rain storm came upon him. He put whip to his horse and although the cloud had so far overtaken him that the rain was already falling upon the hinder part of his horse, yet such was the speed he was going, the rain could not get up to the saddle, and in this way the contest was waged for six long miles, neither party gain¬ ing or losing an inch, and not until he remem¬ bered that to keep dry he would not only have to beat the storm but he would have to reach home sufficiently in advance of it to enable both himself and his horse to secure shelter, did he ply whip and spur afresh, and thus he soon distanced and put to shame his celestial competitor. “Again, he has often seriously affirmed that he was at one time so annoyed by the depredations of black-birds that he was compelled to resort to poison to destroy them, which he did by soaking wheat with arsenic and scattering it over the fields. A stream passed through the farm, and the poor poisoned birds rushed to it in such numbers to quench their dreadful thirst, and in fact to meet their instant death, that upon visiting his farm the following day he found, to his surprise and dismay, that the number of dead birds was so great that they had completely choked up the stream, and for at least a quarter of a mile bacK his farm was submerged in water, thus injuring his property more than the poor birds had done when living. “To illustrate the severity of a case of small¬ pox that came within his practice, he stated that the patient, who was a stranger, was removed from Hagerstown to a temporary hut erected for the purpose under a large elm tree near town, and so malignant was the disease that in a few days the tree was actually covered with loathsome ulcers, giving every indication that the tree had contract¬ ed the dreadful malady.” “At another time he was relating to a friend an adventure he had with a robber on one of his solitary tides. He set out by representing the darkness of the night as terrible. After proceed¬ ing with his story at length, he said he discover¬ ed, concealed behind a tree at some distance, a suspicious looking object. His friend, interpose ing, asked how he could see such a distance ? “Why,” said the Doctor, “the moon was shining as bright as day.” “But you have just stated,” the response was, “'that the night was very dark.” “Bless me,” said he, “I have got two stories mixed. But, never mind, I will tell you the other story also, as soon as I get through with this.” “Notwithstanding these anecdotes, no man ever possessed in a higher degree than he did all the substantial elements of truth. His face, his step, his grasp, his address no less than his tongue, and his whole life, certified him a man of truth, candor, and simplicity of heart.. “But great as was his fondness for all kinds of sport. he was never known to neglect a duty to his fellow man to indulge in them. He would deny himself sleep and food, in order to attend a horse-race or a chicken-fight; but never to do so did he withhold from a patient any service in his power. He would yield the-allurements of pleas¬ ure for the calls of duty, with cheerful alacrity. “The true explanation of these peculiarities is to be found in the natural vivacity of his tem¬ per and spirits, rather than in any obliquity of the 268 HISTOEY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD moral sense. It led him into all kinds of amuse¬ ments, and, 1 might add, boyish mischief, and even occasional excesses. No clouds of adversity or sorrow could long obscure the genial sunshine of his jovial heart. To the end of his days, this inestimable blessing, cheerfulness, never forsook him. Notwithstanding his limbs tottered with the weight of accumulated years, his heart still glowed with the fires of youth. Up to his last sickness he continued in the full possession of the tastes, the apppetites, the spirits and capacities of a boy. His long life was one unbroken season of youthful enjoyment and sunshine. He never became an old man, except in the veneration and love of his fellow-citizens, until he laid down at last to arise no more. His beaming and cheerful countenance carried the light of hope and gladness into every sick-room into which it entered, and was often more salutary than medicine. .Many have been the clouds of sorrow and distress which have been dispelled from the languishing bed of suffering by the joyous sunshine of his presence alone. ‘‘Our duty, as religious beings, is two-fold— our duty to God, and our duty to our fellow-man. We have referred to what may lie regarded as the short-comings of the deceased in his obligations under the branch of his Christian duty; as respects the second, no man ever performed with more scru¬ pulous fidelity than he did the obligations apper¬ taining to it. In all the various walks of life, he was never known, when a fellow-being needed his aid, to ask “and who is my neighbor?” nor, “when he saw him, to pass on the other side.” As a pbysican, the deceased responded with as much promptness to the calls of the poor as to those of the rich. Without a murmur he would rise from his bed of repose in all hours of the night, and in all weather, and visit the most remote part of the county to see a patient from whom he would never expect to be paid a cent. He would visit alike the cottage of the poor and the man¬ sion of the great, and often he would be made by Providence unwittingly the author of relief and joy, as is illustrated by the following incident,: “On one occasion, while returning from a piSM fessional visit at an unusual distance from home, Ilf* was overtaken by the darkness of the night, and, as was most uncommon for him, he became bewildered, and finally lost his way. After wan¬ dering for some time along the foot of our South Mountain, chilled and weared, he at length dis¬ covered a 'distant light. It was to him a beacon of joy. Far otherwise was it to the inmates of the house from which the light emanated. It was to them the signal of sorrow and distress. He soon approached the rude and solitary tenement and applied for admission. He found a woman the only inmate, save two little affrighted child¬ ren, who were nestling close to their suffering mother. She was in the bitter pangs of child¬ birth, and a single room constituted the whole capacity of this humble mansion. She attempted some remonstrance against the admission of a stranger under circumstances so painful and deli¬ cate. He forgot his own sufferings in those of the poor woman. In answer to the inquiry as to where her husband was, she stated that he had gone to Hagerstown “for old Doctor Dorsey,” and added, in a tone of despair, “but before they re¬ turn I shall be dead;” her countenance showing that she felt wliat Martha uttered, “if thou hadst been here he had not died.” When the Doctor disclosed himself, there followed a scene which no artist's filial could despict! The suffering in¬ valid was soon relieved, and as the morning sun took the place of the clouds and darkness of the night, so, in this house, did joy and gladness fol¬ low sorrow and despair. “Many years ago, when I was a small child, there stood upon the banks of the Conoeocheague, a neat but humble cottage, which wag the habi¬ tation of a solitary and respectable widow. Not a vestige of it now remains, and its inmate lias long since gone to her rest. One dark and gloomy afternoon in November, about the year 1821 or ’2, a single horseman was seen to approach this se¬ cluded spot. As he drew nigh he was recognized as Dr. Dorsey. As no one was sick at the time in the neighborhood, his appearance was unex¬ pected and excited surprise, as it was not his prac¬ tice to make social or formal visits. "He entered the house, and for him, made an unusually long stay. To this day there hangs around that visit, a melancholy mystery—there was imparted, on that occasion, a sad. secret, which newr, was revealed by him who. gave or by her who received it. Its purport, however, may in part be imagined by what followed. “A few days after, the family carriage of the good physician might have been seen wending the same road, and at last stopping at the same cot¬ tage. The Doctor alighted, and was followed by A young, well drsswd woman, having the air and mien of a lady, and possessing also great personal OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. beauty. They entered the house together, and after a brief sojourn the Doctor returned alone to his carriage and drove off. “What heart can fully appreciate, or what im¬ agination can picture the weight of sorrow and shame that oppressed the soul of that' voluntary exile in her lonely prison! “Days and weeks elapsed. The Doctor was regular in his visits. The curiosity of the neigh¬ borhood was excited, but every effort to gain in¬ formation in regard to the mystery was unavailing. At last the same carriage drove to the door, and the same persons that came in it re-entered and took their departure. But now another had been added to the party. An unconscious, helpless in¬ fant made the third, and though innocent before God and man, and without the stain of any sin, was yet fleeing and hiding from shame and the scorn of the world. “Who this unhappy woman was, whence she came, or whither she went, no one in our County save her one friend, ever knew. The impression, however, always was, that at Hagerstown they sep¬ arated—the mother going to Virginia, the infant 'to Pennsylvania.’ “The work of the physician was no better per¬ formed in this instance than was that of the philanthropist and diplomatist. “About the time I grew to manhood, in the year 1836 or ’7, I made a visit with a companion, long since departed, to a number of our college friends in different sections in Virgina. In our perambulations we were introduced into a most interesting family, which made more than an ordi¬ nary impression. The lady of this hospitable man¬ sion carried with her a serene but melancholy air of dignity. She seemed always pensive and sad, yet withal there was a cheerful contentment in her deportment and countenance. She Had a family of young and lovely children. Her husband was as tender and attentive as possible, yet without ostentation. Beside their own children there was another inmate of the family—a handsome boy, about sixteen years of age. He was stated to-be the son of relatives who had lived in Pennsylvania, and that his parents having died in destitute cir¬ cumstances, when he was but an infant, he had been adopted as one of their own children. The looks, the words, the intercourse which this boy received were those which parental tenderness could only give. Besides it was intimated that there -was a mystery attending his history which had never been satisfactorily cleared up—no suspic¬ ions, however, were ever hinted even, not consist¬ ent with the outward face of things in that fam¬ ily, but for myself, I confess that before I left this house my mind had irresistibly and involuntarily turned to the solitary cottage on the banks of the Conococheague, and now, whenever I revert to this long and buried romance in real life, how sure 1 feel that the part taken by our good old friend in it, has secured for him a pearl of priceless value in the crown which he wears in the eternal world. “Nor were his good deeds confined to his pro¬ fession. He was ever ready cheerful to respond to any demand upon his charity or friendship. As a husband and father he was most devoted. To his eye every womanly charm and virtue were concentrated in his wife, and she in her turn adored him as the perfection of all that a man should be. The strict fidelity and beautiful de¬ votion and affection which marked the entire period of their long protracted married life, are worthy of all admiration and imitation. Though his wife survived him, she ceased from his demise to care for the world, and death, which soon fol¬ lowed, was hailed with joy as the occasion by which she was to be reunited to her husband in an endless existence. “He was a steady, though an unostentatious friend. He perhaps lost more money by security- ship and long indulgence, than any man who ever lived in our County. Had he been like most men, he might have died possessed of great wealth, but so far from it he died comparatively poor. If he was a leader on all occasions of sport and amusement, he was no less conspicuous in every noble and charitable enterprise. He was for years the main support of his church in this town. Had it not been for him, on many occasions they would have been a broken and scattered people without a head. He has literally kept the congre¬ gation together, and if scenes like those through which they have passed should arise again to test the vitality of the church, who of us will not miss the services of its valued friend ? He was a mem¬ ber of the vestry, I suppose, for half a century, and' although strong efforts at times were made to defeat him, he always proved invincible. For this office I believe he could have beaten General Jackson. How well he discharged his duty in this respect, the memory of those little soiled, an¬ cient looking paper visitants, pew Mils , which haunted, night and day, delinquent church sub- 270 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD fibers, will fully attest. In the vestry he was president, secretary, treasurer, collector, and, 1 believe, everything else, I have known him to make the fires and ring the hell himself. He was head man at all church weddings and funerals, and while I have never known him to officiate on these occasions, or to attempt to preach, yet I have seen him baptize childrin in ertremis mar¬ tins , with water and the cross,, “I have never known an instance before of a man, not influenced lay pious zeal or religious enthusiasm, who yet devoted himself so steadily and faithfully to the interests of his church for upwards of half a century. May we not hopefully affirm, that in the religious advantages of his last illness, and his peaceful and hajSjgf death, wit¬ nessed the fruits of this pious peculiarity? "Of St, James College he was a firm, untiring friend and patron, and by those connected with that valuable institution he wi d be long remember¬ ed and regretted. He was one of its trustees from its first organization, and among the earliest and most liberal contributors to this great and suc¬ cessful educational enterprise. "It will be conceded that in all his business transactions he was as honest as steel. In hi* habit? he was plain, unaffected and economical. Indeed, the simplicity of his dress and manners was unique. He would boast of having worn cer¬ tain articles of clothing for many years, the truth of which was abundantly attested in their antique appearance. He has often shown me a pair of shoes which he sail he had worn for fourteen years, and they carried upon their comgtmim and in their soles evidence that one of them might well have been the identical shoe which the Psalm¬ ist, had in mind when he said: "Over Edom will I east out my shoe.” "Hospitality was one of his shining virtues. A plate, a bed, a cordial welcome and a long talk, were always ready for liis friends. He was devoted to society, and was a great talker. He would talk to any one who would listen, and often his hone would constitute his only auditor. In conversational conflicts few persons could stand up before him. He abounded in narratives and anecdotes. An excellent friend of his, now no more, used to say of him, that he had an assort¬ ment of stores on hand for m<*rv onasion, and that they varied from one to luuwlif milt's in length, to suit his di lb ien( rides and companions. "He was equal to every occasion, and was at home in all society. He would attend the death bed or funeral of a patient in the morning, partic¬ ipate in regulating the temporal affairs of his church at noon, attend a race or a, cock-fight in the evening, and dance at a wedding at night. He could be as elegant and agreeable in refined company as any one, and could make himself equally at home in low society. From the fash¬ ionable, and refined dinner table he could readily translate himself to a corn-husking, and would hardly seem to realize that the flavor of old Ma¬ deira and Savory viands had been exchanged for hard cider, pork and beans; and often he would so blend two different occasions, either by his manner or dress, that one could hardly discover, so far as he was concerned, the precise line of sep¬ aration between; them. For example, on an oc¬ casion of a guy wedding to which, the Doctor was invited and expected, he was late in making Ins appearance, as was not unusual. The company, however, Were soon cheered by his welcome ap¬ proach, but to the great surprise of all, to the horror of the superstitious, and amusement of oth¬ ers., he entered the house with a long black scarf streaming from his hat. He had just returned from a funeral, and in his haste to be present at the wedding, he had forgotten to exchange the habiliments of woe for those of joy. "On another occasion he was one of a party at a wedding dinner. The oaiipaiiy at first were dull and dry, and the Doctor was forced, perhaps not against his will, to do a greater part of the talking. He at last carelessly put his hand in his coat pocket to draw out his handkerchief, when instead thereof he drew forth to the aston¬ ishing gaze of the party, an infant's mp. Some blushed, others hid their faces, while others roared with laughter. The Doctor himself made many apologies, and tried hard to blush, and notwith¬ standing he protested, it was an accident, and that he Wrfts to attend the christening of an infant the same day, and for whom the cap was a present from his wife, he stood convicted by a majority of those prt'rtMnt of the deliberate perpetration of not an unmeaning practical joke or prophecy. “lie could remember and narrate, with perfect a ecu racy, every thing that ever occurred in his life. Whn ftf my hearers can do the same? If any ol yo£t,#uld repeat everything that had come under your observation, during life, you would have much to tell that might excite incredulity. Why, then, should the well collated circumstances OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 271 of a long and eventful life cause surprise? And does it not occur to those who make this objec¬ tion, that it is quite as easy to remember events that really did occur, as it is to repeat accurately a story wholly fictitious? For it is remarkable, that the narratives of the old Doctor, though often repeated, were always precisely the same. I re¬ peat, it was the result of a strong and accurate memory. He could carry you back to the last century. Every incident of his school and college life could be repeated. He remembered every in¬ cident connected with the great Jefferson Barbe¬ cue in 1800. He could almost tell how many chickens, turkeys and the like each person con¬ tributed on that occasion. To me he has repeat¬ edly described the very color and appearance of the beef that was given by Col. Barnes at Mont¬ pelier, and even the identical field out of which it was driven. He knew the history of every man and woman almost in the County, and who, in ref¬ erence to them, ever detected him in an error? A man of our day would scarcely credit an ac¬ count of a procession of pack horses passing through Hagerstown ladened with merchandise for the only west then known. Yet Doctor Dorsey has seen this. Who would not receive with incred¬ ulity his comic-tragic account of the scenes con¬ nected with the execution connected with the Cot¬ trells, some forty years ago? How he came pos¬ sessed of one of their bodies for dissection—how he rode from point to point to avoid pursuit, with the dead body beside him on the horse, the grim corpse at one moment sifting up erect behind him, and then again dangling down before him like a bag of meal! how it tumbled off, and how he struggled to get it back again! Yet there are men probably here tonight who know this story to be literally true. It almost sounds marvelous that he should have administered more than 200 grains of calomel to himself in less than twelve hours, when he had the cholera in 1832. Yet no fact is better established. To modern physicians it would seem impossible that he should have ridden on horseback, in a single week, more than five hundred miles. There are men living who might safely swear to the truth of this assertion. I have known myself to ride from Baltimore to Hagerstown with the same horse 'in a single day, a distance of upwards of seventy miles, and on the same night to visit, besides, patients in the country. With a horse race or chicken fight in contemplation he would ride from twenty to thirty miles before breakfast. On one of his early rounds on such an occasion, he met at Montpelier the late Rev. Mr. Ryan, a most holy and pure man. He had spent the night with us in discharge of his Christian duties, and was preparing to return to Hagerstown. At the breakfast table. Dr. Dor¬ sey so fascinated him with accounts of the delights and innoeency of horse-racing, and so earnestly pressed him to join him in his contemplated visit, that the good old priest at last so far con¬ sented as to agree to witness the race from the turnpike. I shall never forget these two good old physicians, one of the soul and the other of the body, jogging off together on so extraordinary a mission; nor have I ever yet been able to bring myself to believe that cither was any the worse for it? “A few years ago I opened, in the office of a gentleman of this place, an essay on the life of the late Dr. Alexander, of Princeton, which J read with great interest, as it portrayed the life and character of one of the best and greatest men who has ever adorned the annals of America. An ac¬ count was given of an interview which took place sometime about the beginning of the present cen¬ tury, between Dr. Alexander, as he was returning from Yirginia, and a lady at Sharpsburg, in tins county, namccl Mrs. Orndorif, who was supposed to lie in a trance. A minute and curious ac¬ count is given of the interview and of the pe¬ culiarities of the case. I had never heard of it before. Here., thought I, is an opportunity of testing the memory of Dr. Dorsey. I met him soon after on the street, and by the simple query, “Did you ever hear of Mrs. OrncLorff, who was m a trance ?” I afforded him a text for a narrative of more than an hour long. It is sufficient for this occasion to say, that his representations precisely correspond with those of the biographer of Dr. Alexander, only that in addition he gave a min¬ ute account of the previous and subsequent history of this remarkable woman, and told me even pre¬ cisely " here she was buried, a fact which few per¬ sons, I suppose, now care much about knowing. “It is true there was a class of parabolical stor¬ ies he used to indulge in, which, from their extrav¬ agant character, it is plain, he never intended any one should believe. They were to hi, I presume, to enforce some particular point he wished to estab¬ lish. For example: “He used also seriously to affirm that of all bed-covering snow was the warmest. To prove HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD this he stated that on a very cold winter's night he found himself in the mountains, a great dis¬ tance from home, and that he had to spend the night with his patient in the loft of a comfortless cabin. The bed covering was so thin that he at first thought he would freeze, but sleep, the friend who never deserted him, soon came to his relief, and caused him to forget his sufferings. When he awoke, to his surprise he found himself as warm and comfortable as if he had been in his own bed, and upon examining into the cause of the great change in the condition of things, he found that during the night a driving snow storm had covered his bed about six inches with fresh snow. “It sometimes happened also, that he would be detected in contradictions in some unimportant point in some of his long stories, and some exam¬ ples of a ludicrous character might be furnished. They never, however, disconcerted the narrator, who always managed to get out of them with perfect self-possession. He once was describing to me a very large and gay party at General Spriggs’. The moon was bright, the sleighing superb, and the number of sleighs w r as legion. After relating many of the minute incidents of the party, he con¬ tinued that he then asked Mrs. - to take his arm and they walked into the garden, where “we picked some fine ripe strawberries.” “Why,” said I with more frankness than politeness, ‘T thought you said there was snow on the ground?” He immediately replied, without any discomfiture, “you are right; I was thinking of Spriggs’ wed¬ ding, which took place forty-five years ago • that was in strawberry time;” and he coolly continued his narrative to its close as if there had been no interruption. “However agreeable may have been the inci¬ dents sf this old man’s life, his death was even more so. As all things but God and eternity have an end, so the life of this extraordinary man at length approaches its close. In the midst of the same cheerfulness which had always characterized his life, he receives the summons to be ready. He resignedly takes his bed, from which he knew he never would arise. The time for the settlement of his great account is at hand. The shades of the eveninng of life are gathering around him. He feels that lie is walking upon the solemn, si¬ lent shores of the Ocean of Eternity, about to em¬ bark upon its uncertain waters. And here let us pause and contemplate the great mercy and forbearance of our Father in Heaven, as illustrated in the death which is now approaching. The fidelity with which he had discharged every duty to his neighbor, seemed to disarm his great and good master of all resentments for any wrongs done to him. “And now, my fellow-citizens, in ending my task, and in describing the last sciBfia in the life which I have so imperfectly attempted to delin¬ eate, permit me to use the appropriate language of Queen Catherine’s usher, in announcing to her the death of her favorite IVolsey: -“Full of repentance, Continual meditations, tears and sorrows, He gave his honors to the world again. His blessed part to heaven, and slept in peace.” “The name of old Dr. Dorsey will long sug¬ gest to those who knew him a train of solemn, yet pleasant memories and emotions, and the com¬ ing generations of our people will indulge in a pious curiosity in looking at the house where he dwelt*, and in listening to descriptions of the per¬ son, and anecdotes of the virtues and peculiari¬ ties of one, who belonged to a period and a gener¬ ation which he had stamped with his impress, but which have passed a way forever.” OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 273 CHAPTER XVIII OWARDS the close of 1849, people be¬ gan to fear another visitation of the cholera. In July a public meeting was held in Hagerstown to see that the town was clean and in a healthy condi¬ tion. Hagerstown escaped, but, as on a previous occasion, the disease was fatal in Williamsport. In the early months of the summer of 1853 there were thirty-nine deaths from cholera in and around Williamsport; thirty-two of them were in the town. The symptoms characterizing the dis¬ ease made many of the physicians deny that it was true Asiatic cholera. “The first fatal cases were attended by the symptoms of cholera morbus alone. Subsequent attacks were attended by more strongly marked peculiarities of cholera; yet there was still an ab¬ sence of many of its prominent features., Where diarrhoea, sickness of the stomach and cramps were the first symptoms, successful treatment was not difficult; yet a bilious condition succeeded which left the system—already exhausted—to un¬ dergo a second treatment, different in its char¬ acter, yet none the less rigorous than the first. So, in instances where a bilious derangement was the first symptom, and readily yielded to medical care, the peculiarities of cholera developed them¬ selves, generally in their worst form. Since the first few cases, too, the disease assumed an en¬ tirely different phase. There was an almost en¬ tire absence of cramps and retchings—the patient sinking almost immediately into a collapse—cold¬ ness succeeding, with a constant watery discharge. which soon proved fatal, without any apparent pain or suffering. Of these latter cases, death in some instances resulted in a few hours.”* The next week, after there had been a cessa¬ tion of the disease, the weather became cooler; the mortality immediately increased, and there were five or six deaths in a few days and a dozen violent cases. In the families of the Messrs. Beatty, who resided in the vicnity of the town, the fatality was terrible, some eight persons, white and colored, having died in five days, one or two colored boys died below the town, and Mr. Nei- kirk some miles above it; there were several cases at Leiter’s 5 [ill on the Conococheague, but no deaths. William G. Van Lear, a native of Wil¬ liamsport, who had settled in Cumberland, died in that town of cholera during the summer. The College of St. James, although the health of the students remained good, yet as a precautionery measure, was closed for the summer vacation tvco weeks earlier than usual. In Hagerstown, prob¬ ably by reason of the thorough cleansing which the town had received, there was not a single case, and all through the e 2 }idemic at Williamsport, the health of Hagerstown -was remarkably good. A victim of cholera in lg#4 was Capt. John D. Hart, of Hancock. He was passing through Wood Co., Ohio, and there he and his brother were taken with cholera and died in a few hours. Capt. Hart fought the British in 1812 on the northern frontier. In 1844, he was a member of the As¬ sembly, and had held other offices. At the time of his death he was sixty-six years of age. ♦Williamsport Journal of the Times. 274 HISTOEY AND BIOGRAPHICAL EE COED The County became deeply excited in Sep¬ tember, 1853, over a trial removed to Hagerstown from Cumberland. Eolwrt Swann and William 0. Sprigg, two prominent young men in the lat¬ ter town, having high social position, got into a quarrel which resulted in the killing of Sprigg, in February, 1852, Sprigg was seated at the stove in the office of the Barnum Hotel, when Swan entered with a double-barrelled shot gun, and shot twice, the second load taking effect in the back of the head and causing instant death. Judge Perry declined to sit in the case, because of his near relationship to the prisoner, and Jos¬ eph I. Merrick was appointed special Judge. In the trial, the whole population became partisans of one side or the other, and when Mr. Merrick accepted bail for the prisoner he was promptly- burned in effigy. With such a state of public sen¬ timent it was manifestly impossible to obtain an impartial trial and so the case was removed to Washington County. After a very protracted trial, the jury brought in a verdict of not guilty. This verdict excited almost as much indignation in Washington County as the release of the pris¬ oner on bail did in Allegany. Indignation meet¬ ings were held in various places, and in Boons- boro’ the jury was burnt in effigy. This trial tggs among the last public acts of Joseph I. Mer¬ rick. His health failed, and he removed from his beautiful home, Oak Hill, on the northern suburbs of Hagerstown, to Washington, where he died in 1854. Murder trials, about this time, when they did come, came like other troubles, “not single, spies, but in battalions.” Two months after the Swann trial, Mary Ellen Thomas, a free negro, was convicted of murder in the first degree and this was the first conviction since 1819, when the Cottrells were sentenced to death. The convict in this case was employed as a domestic in the family of William G. Baer, near Sharpsburg. Im¬ mediately upon entering the house, the girl had taken an unreasonable and violent aversion to one of Baer’s twin infants, and did not rest until she had administered such a dose of laudanum as caused its death. The child’s mother saw the girl pouring the poison into the child’s mouth, but too late to save it. The trial for the crime resulted in a conviction for murder in the first degree, but the sentence of death was commuted, upon the ground of insanity, into imprisonment for life. At the same term of Court, Joshua An¬ derson was convicted of murder in the second de¬ gree for killing George Farlett on the canal. In March, 1854, Michael Iveplinger was found dead in Jonathan Hager’s Mill. A jury of inquest pronounced the death accidental. Subsequently, suspicions of foul play were excited and a second inquest was held. This time the verdict charged John Spaet, the head miller, with the crime of murder. Spaet was supposed to have been the only person in the mill at the time of the death. He was accordingly arrested. His case was re¬ moved to Frederick and there after a trial of four days, he was acquitted. At that time Thomas Harbine was the State’s attorney. But during the excitements of murder trials, politics held its own. This decade witnessed the rise and fall of the American or “Know Noth¬ ing” party, and the Know Nothing campaigns Were among the most exciting in the history of the country. In 1853, the Wings had pretty well run their course and that year they made no nomination for Congress in this district. Wil¬ liam T. Hamilton was nominated by the Demo¬ crats and Frank Thomas the “old war horse of Democracy,” announced himself as an independ¬ ent Democratic candidate. This was the begin¬ ning of his departure from the political faith of his life, and he afterwards became as much dis¬ tinguished for his bitter opposition to the Demo¬ cratic party as he had previously been for his' advocacy of its principles. During the war he was a prominent republican and inscribed upon his tomb-stone in the little- graveyard at- St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at Pet-ersville, Freder¬ ick County, is an epitaph which claims for him the authorshin of that clause of the Constitution of is04 which abolished slavery in Maryland. At the election in 1853, the Wings did not give Thom¬ as that hearty support which he expected. Many of them said that if they had no choice but to vote for a Democrat, they would vote for a thor¬ ough Democrat and so supported Hamilton. This gentleman wag elected by a good majority and carried his County by a vote of 2,914 to 1,951 for Thomas. But the Whig candidate for Governor Biehard I. Bowie, received 2,514 votes, only eighty- four less than Ligon, the Democratic candidate. The Whigs elected one candidate on their local ticket, A K. S\ ester, to the House of Delegates. Indeed, this gentleman always made a strong can¬ didate and usually carried his County whenever he ran. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 275 The next Congressional campaign, the Know Nothing party had become powerful and at the election in 1855 carried everything before it, William T. Hamilton was again the Democratic candidate and against him the Know Nothings put up Henry W. Hoffman, then a very young man and a graceful and eloquent speaker. The campaign was exciting to the last degree, and the candidates rendered it the more interesting by a series of joint discussions. The Democrats knew all along that they were engaged in an almost hopeless contest, but that knowledge did not dampen the zeal and energy of their candidate in the smallest degree. He made a vigorous and gallant campaign, speaking at every hamlet in the district in his own peculiar style, so popular with the people among whom he lived. In many places he was subjected to interruptions and disturb¬ ances which would have discouraged a less de¬ termined man. Hoffman carried the district by 749 majority and Washington County by a vote of 2,622 to 2,566 for Hamilton; the latter car¬ ried Allegany County by 39 .majority. But the Know-Knothing predominance was of short dura¬ tion. Their downfall came as rapidly as cheir rise. In 1857 they re-nominated Mr. Hoffmando Congress, and this time Col. Jacob Kunkel was his opponent and defeated him by a majority of 168. A. K. Syester was again before the people, this time as the Know Nothing candidate for the bench of the Court of Appeals. The district in which he ran was composed of Allegany, Wash¬ ington, Frederick, Carroll, Baltimore and Har¬ ford Counties. His opponent, James L. Bartol, afterwards under the Constitution of 1867 Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals, defeated him by 22 majority. This was accomplished by some spe¬ cial work in the Clearsnring district of Washing¬ ton County, where Syester fell sixty votes behind his ticket. At the State election this year, there was a tie between James W. Leggett and Isaac Leggett for the House of Delegates, and a special election was held in February. This time Dr. W. A. Riddlemoser was the Democratic candidate against Leggett and defeated him by a majority of 15 votes. The marvelous frequency of tie votes in this County is a subject of remark and they have later occurred as frequently with a vote of over eight thousand as when the population of the County was only half as great. - In 1859 Kun- kle and Hoffman were again in the field for Con¬ gress, and engaged in joint discussions that gave rise to much bitterness of feeling which did not end with the election. Kunkle freely charged Hoffman with being in sympathy with the abol- itonists and Republicans of the North—a charge which was bitterly resented and denied. Kunkle won the fight, and was re-elected. In Washing¬ ton County there was another tie, Kunkle and Hoffman each receiving 2,842 votes. On the local ticket the Americans elected two of their candi¬ dates; A. Iv. Stake defeated Dr. Riddlemoser for the Assembly and Edward M. Mobley was elected Sheriff. Among the Democrats elected were Eakle, Coudy, Brining and Freaner to the Assem¬ bly and William Motter State’s Attorney. It was during the session to which George Freaner was elected this year that he distinguished himself. In January, 1858, an election was held in Hagerstown, entirely non-political but nonetheless exciting upon that account. For nearly a century the people of Hagerstown, like those mentioned by the Prophet, had walked in darkness. There were no street lamps by which to guide the foot¬ steps through the deep mud of the streets, or over the rough and ill-paved or unpaved foot ways. When the early bed-time of the people came and the lights disappeared from the windows, or a little later, where the feeble ray of the smoky lamp which marked the front of a tavern was extinguished, absolute darkness brooded over the town, unless indeed the moon or the stars were shining. At the beginning of 1858, a movement for street lights was started and the matter was discussed with all the zeal and intemperance which in those days invariably attended any dis¬ cussion of public matters. The matter was sub¬ mitted to a vote of the people, and at the election excitement ran high. The election was held in January, and 484 votes were cast, 236 for street lights and 212 against them. Upon that narrow majority the lighting of the streets rested, and from the little oil lamps which were then put into use, and which scarcely sufficed to render darkness visible, our present splendid arc lights were evolved. Nor were lights the only improvements to the town about this time. In 1854 a company was formed which purchased the historic Globe Tavern for the purpose of demolishing it and building a modern hotel in its place. The old tavern had been the scene of many incidents of interest, in it many of the great men of the coun¬ try had been entertained; there Harry of the W r est 276 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD had been banquet ted and Andrew Jackson had re¬ ceived delegations of the citizens. Its walls had held Santa Anna and Albert Gallatin and Thomas H. Benton and David Crockett. Around this building clustered the memories of many great events in the history of the town and it is not surprising that its demolition should have excited more than a passing interest. The property was bought from James I. Hurley and Thomas Har- bine, and the new company entered into a con¬ tract with J. B. Thurston for pulling down the oM tavern, and soon afterwards for building the new one. The price for erecting the new build¬ ing, which was to be called the Washington House, was $12,500 and the material of the old building. The lot upon which the Washington House was built was the eastern two-thirds of the lot now covered by the Baldwin. But by the time the new building was completed, in March, 1856, the cost of the entire property amounted to $28,000. Of this sum $13,000 was paid in and the remainder raised by a mortgage on the property. Thomas and Janies Dixon of Baltimore were the archi¬ tects of the building, and when it was completed it was pronounced the finest hotel in the State outside of Baltimore and “a triumph of mechan¬ ical skill and gcniusY It was four stories in height, eighty feet in front, forty-eight feet deep, and with a wing fifty-two by thirty-three feet. This wing was subsequently enlarged. The hotel contained forty-six chambers and the necessary parlors and offices. The first landlord was Wil¬ liam Stetson, who began his career by giving a banquet. The leading gentlemen of the town were gathered around the table, and we may be sure that the exuberance of the speeches made was in no wisq diminished by the toasts which were drunk to the success of the host. Another improvement in the town was the introduction of illuminating gas. In May, 1851, it company was formed for the manufacture of gas from “rosin oil.’ 5 The plant was located on the rear of the Lyceum Hall lot. The capital stock was $0,009. J. I). Roman was President, with a hoard of directors composed of P. B. Small, Peter SchwartzweMer, Dr. H. II. Harvey, David Zeller, T. G. Robertson and William M. Marshall. The company, however, was not very prosperous. It. got into debt and in August, 1859, the Sheriff advertised the pipit at public sale to satisfy a judgmeot. The operation of the works ceased, and there was loud complaint and lamenta¬ tion in the town because the people were com¬ pelled to go back to lamps and greasy candles. This hardship had to be endured but a short time, for the matter was adjusted with the creditors, work was resumed, and customers supplied with gas as usual. In 1855 the Washington County Branch Bank Was incorporated and established with George Kealhofer as cashier. Its banking house was where the bank of Eavey & Lane now stands, next to the Court House. In 1854 the assessed valuation pf the County for taxation was $14,400,000. Of this, $10,400,- 000 was realty and $317,000 slaves. We may judge that the value of real estate in Hagerstown was very low compared with its present value, by the fact that in January, 1853, the property at the northwest corner of Washington and Jon¬ athan Streets, then occupied by Daniel G. Mumma, was sold to Oliver Stonebraker for $4,000. The value of a slave, a young and healthy man, at the same time was about $1,000. In 1854, several slaves of Jacob II. .Grove of Sharpsburg ran away and made good their escape to New York. There they were arrested and returned to their owner. Among them was a man named Stephen Pem¬ broke, who had a brother who was a preacher in New York City. When Stephen Pembroke Was returned to slavery, the congregation of his broth¬ er raised the sum of $1,000 with which they pur¬ chased Stephen and gave him his freedom. During these events, at least during the sum¬ mer and autumn of 1854, the people of the County, and indeed of the whole county were in a bad plight, and almost enduring a famine. There was no rain for months, the wheat crop had failed and the corn in the field was as dry as tinder. Hour was selling as high at $9 a barrel, and corn at 90 cents a bushel. Prices would have been even higher but for the abundant crops in Europe, and people began to look across the ocean for their bread. But the most curious man¬ ifestation of the great drought was the wretched paper upon which the County, and indeed all the newspapers were minted. Streams which sup¬ plied the paper mills of the country land failed and no paper could be made. The New York journals wore obtaining their supply from Eng¬ land, the Mail, the Torch Light and the Herald oT Freedom had to take such as they could get and they had great difficulty in obtaining any at all, even of the inferior quality which they used. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAEYLAND. The next year there was a good corn crop and Dr. Wm. Eagan took a prize at the Agricultural Fair for raising 122 bushels of com on an acre. Possibly it was the hard times consequent upon the drought which stimulated the veterans of 1812 to seek some relief from the Government. A meeting was to be held in Washington on the 8th of January, 1855, to take action with regard to the land warrants to which veterans were en¬ titled. On the day after Christmas, 1854, the old soldiers then living in Washington County met in the Court House in Hagerstown to choose dele¬ gates to that convention. John Miller was the president, Daniel Hawer and James Biays were the secretaries. Many people gathered to witness the proceedings and Andrew EL Syester made a speech to the old soldiers. Among the veterans were Daniel Creager and Frederick Kinsell, the drummer and fifer of Captain Shryock’s Company, who played one of their old time marches with animation and thrilling effect* On the 12th of September, 1858, there was a celebration of the battle of North Point in Hagers¬ town. A procession marched through the town under command of Dr., J. Clagett Dorsey chief marshal. The fire companies of Hagerstown, Winchester and other towns were in the procession, at the head of which were the old defenders m carriages. The oration was made by A. K. Syes¬ ter from the veranda of the Washington House. About the time of this meeting died old “Aunt Suckey” a negro belonging to James Davis of Hagerstown. She was a hundred years old and claimed to rank among the old defenders, because she had several times cooked dinner for General Washington. Jack Wolgamot, a soldier of 1812, died in Martinsburg in 1856, and in April of the next year John Yan Lear, Cashier of the Wash¬ ington County Bank died suddenly at the age of seventy years. On the night of January 18, 1857 what might have been an appalling disaster occurred. Kemp Hall, a large four-story building at the College of St. James, was destroyed by fire. The winter of 1856-’7 was long remembered as one of the severest in many years. The weather was bitterly cold, and the snow fall was very heavy, impeding travel, stopping mails and cutting off communica¬ tion between places in close proximity to each other. During the heaviest snow storm and bitter¬ est cold of the season, at three o’clock in the morn¬ ing, this building in which nearly seventy-five per¬ sons were sleeping, suddenly burst into flames. The Prefect, the Eev. John K. Lewis, felt the heat in his room, and awakened Professor Joseph Coit. He then took a lame boy from his bed and carried him over to the Eectory, the end of the main building occupied by Dr. Kerfoot, the Eector of the college, whom he found dressed and in attend¬ ance upon a sick child, and whom he notified of the fire. Mr. Coit then went through the building and awakened each boy. This was done in such a way as to avoid a panic and to secure prompt removal from the building. No time was allowed for dressing. The fire had begun at the furnace very near the stairway, and before anyone could escape it was in flames. Exit was then made through the now suffocating smoke, by ladders through trap doors from floor to floor, a fire escape which had been provided for such an emergency. Soon the sixty-five boys were out in safety, stand¬ ing in their night clothes in the bitter cold and *Names of the meeting: ■ Col. John Miller, Capt. James Biays, Daniel Hauer, Capt. Geo. Shryock, David Newcomer, William Grove, Charles G. Downs, Richard Davis, Rezin James, John Dovenberger, Nathan Davis, William McCardel, Jesse Long, Daniel Oster, Jacob Powles, Pred’k Humrichouse, William Johnston, officers and soldiers taken at the George Spangler, Andrew Burns, Benjamin Simpson, Solomon Stinemetz, Peter Snyder, John Anderson, .Jacob Middlekauff, Christian Coy, John Rockwell, John Harrigan, Jacob Hose, Thomas Combs, Jacob Burkhart, Frederick Kinsel, Henry Creager, John Hull, Jacob King, John Brown, James Swales, John Plummer, Mathias Wegley, Samuel Fiegley, James Dillehunt, Spencer Moxley,' John Lushbaugh, David Long, Jacob Kayler, William Biershing, David Tschudy, John Neff, Ezekiel Cheney, John Murry, William Cline, George Hauer, Ca’t. Gerard Stonebraker Anthony Campbell, Philip Mouse, Henry Blessing, Andrew Double, Frederick Betts, Joseph Barkdoll, Capt. David Artz, John Cramer, Robert Campbell, Abraham Crum, John Marteney, Maj. Elias Baker, Valentine Wachtal, David Thum, Henry Sweitzer, William Freaner, Daniel Creager, John Kealhoffier, Jacob Bo ward, Samuel Creager. 278 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD snow storm, waist, deep in the snow. Mr. Chit had completed his second round and concluding that all had escaped, he was beginning to descend the, ladder when lie heard the voice of Dr. Kcrfoot from the thick smoke. He had rushed up the burning stairway into the dormitory, arui would not he satisfied until be had gone around with Mr. Coit and felt In cWery bed. They then de¬ scended the ladder together and all' were saved. This was accomplished by such coolness and good lIHtnagement as is seldom witnessed* It was stated in proof of the short notice for escape that seventeen gold watches were destroyed in the fire. The loss to the College, beside a library, was not less than twenty thousand dollars. The College of St. Janies had been formally opened with about twenty boys, as the diocesan school of the Episcopal Church in Maryland, on Mondav, October 3rd. 1143 The Principal was the Rev. John B. Kcrfoot, and his assistants were the Rev. Russell Trevett. D. E. Lyman, Robert S. Howland, J. Kip Anderson and Samuel H. Ker- fnot. As the school increased, Reuben Riley George W. Ctaikley. R. H. Clarkson, afterwards Bishop of Nebraska, and the Rev. Joseph C. Pass- more were added to the faculty. The old Ring- gold mansion house at Fountain Rock, together with a few acres of land including the beautiful grounds and the copious spring which gives its name to the property, had boon offered for sale by trustees. The idea of buying it for a church school first suggested itself to Dr. T. B. Lyman, the Rector of St. John’s Church, Hagerstown, afterward Bishop of North Carolina. He made the suggestion to Bi-hop Whittingham, and they two collected the five thousand dollars necessary to purchase the property. The school grew and prospered until broken up by the war as we shall see later. It was then abandoned until 1870, when it: was revived as a grammar school by Mr. Henry Onderdonk and has so continued to the present time. It Is now conducted by Mr. Adrian If. OiUlerdonk, son of Henry Onderdonk, who died in 1X95. After the fire in 1857, a movement was made to remove the school to' a more accessible location, Hagerstown at that time 1 icing bard to reach, and the collegia separated from it !sy six miles of had road,, A site was bought on the Northern Central railroad, twenty-five miles from Baltimore, and extensive buildings were begun, lint tlie war put att end to this project, and the lower story of the new building lay in ruins for many years. But while Washington County was in danger of losing this splendid institution for lack of trans¬ portation facilities, the people were earnestly en¬ gaged in trying to secure another railroad which should give the County access to the east and west by way of the Baltimore & Ohio road. The project was to build a railroad from Hagerstown to Weverton. Public meetings were held at the Lyceum Hall in March, 1857, and resolutions were adopted asking the legislature for authority to issue $250,000 of County bonds to subscribe to the road. It was urged that an advance of ten cents per bushel in the price of wheat, which would surely follow the building of the road, would more than pay the annual interest of $15,000 on the proposed bonds. By Chapter 260 of the Acts of Assembly of 1840, the Baltimore & Ohio road had been directed to build the road from Weverton to Hagerstown and in 1868 a bill was introduced to compel the performance of this obligation. But nothing came, of it. The scheme to build the road, like every other enterprise, was interrupted by the war and the road was not completed, as we shall sec, until 1867. In April, 1857, the Washington County jail which had been built in 1826, burnt down. The sherifFs home which was attached to it was saved. In August, 1859, the German Reformed Church in Fupfctown was also burnt. This was at the time, one of the oldest buildings in the County and the lot upon which it was built was given by Jacob Funk for the joint use of the German Re¬ formed and Lutheran congregations, Frederick Geiger and Jacob Sharer being the trustees. In 1905 when 86 years of age Edwin Bell wrote for the author of this hook, his friend of over 30 years, the following reminiscences: My father, William Duffield Bell, who estab¬ lished the “Torch Light” newspaper in 1814, oc¬ cupied as an office and dwelling the old Jonathan Hager house on the corner of the Public Square and E. Washington Si., and there I, his first child, was horn. At an early age to me, he removed to a dwelling on S Potomac St. nearly opposite the Lutheran Church, in the midst of many old fam¬ ilies of the town, among which were those of “Grandma” Potting *t and “old Doctor” John Young. Mrs. Pottinger was the one sister of the Jtulges ,Tolin and Thomas Buchanan who graced Reformed Church, Keedysville. The Manor German Baptist Church, Tilghmanton District. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 281 the Benches, respectively and simultaneously of the Court of ■ Appeals and our County Court. She Was the accomplished and beloved head of a large family of grandchildren among whom were John Buchanan Hall, son of Thomas B. Hall, whose wife was the daughter of Mrs. Pottinger. Hr. Young’s niece was the wife of the Rev. John Lind, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Hagerstown, who died leaving a son named after his grand uncle by whom he was adopted. My boyhood was passed chiefly with these two boys, known to each other and their intimates as “Buck,” “John,” and “Ed.” At a later period was added a fourth, Rich¬ ard P. Hammond, called “Dick,” forming a quar¬ tette of devoted companions to the end of the lives of two, “John” and “Dick.” They have been dead several years, the first dying an esteemed member of the medical profession in Philadelphia and the other occupying at the time of his death, some years ago, in‘ the city of San Francisco, the same relative position which Theodore Roosevelt filled in the city of New York—that of chief commis¬ sioner of the police department. At his death the profound respect of the metropolis of the State was manifested by the bestowal of almost munic¬ ipal honors. He was the eldest son of Dr. Wil¬ liam Hammond, originally a practicing physician of Hagerstown and afterwards surgeon to the time of his death in the U. S. army. His mother was the daughter of Col. Frisby Tilghman, of “Rockland,” six miles south of Hagerstown, whose estate joined that of Fountain Rock, owned by his brother-in-law, Gen. Samuel Ringgold, who in early days represented this district in Congress and whose son, Mai. Samuel Ringgold, organizer of the famous battery of artillery which bore his name was the first officer of distinction to fall in the Mexican War ; whilst another son, Com¬ modore Cadawalder Ringgold, of the Navy, sig¬ nalized his devotion to that branch of the service as commander of the “Vincennes” in the antarctic expedition under Commodore Wilkes and held a distinct command in the Japan Expedition under Commodore Perry. Together at the old Academy on Prospect Hill through their preparatory course, a separation came when “Buck” and “John” left for Can- nonsburg College; “Dick” to commence his course as cadet at the West Point Military Academy; I to take my plane in the Torch Light printing of¬ fice as compositor and assistant of my father. Whilst thus engaged I formed an unbroken inti¬ macy through life with two fellow “typos” who matriculated in the composing room of the Ha¬ gerstown Mail: James L. and John A. Freaner, with one of whom, John, in California days, I was perhaps more closely associated than with any other in that state. James L. Freaner had won renown during the Mexican War as “Mustang,” the correspondent of the New Orleans Delta, with which he became connected on starting out in life. His letters which covered the whole Mexican cam¬ paign under General Scott contained an admir¬ able record of those events and were copied all over the United States, to some extent adding to, if not forming, the basis of the present system of war correspondence. As such “Mustang” was present at and reported through his letters, the treaty of peace, known as the “Triste Treaty,” concluded at Guadalupe de Hidalgo, by that offic¬ ial, the U, S. minister, with the Mexican govern¬ ment, and was its bearer to Washington. Upon the acquisition of California he was among the first to reach the new possessions, and from his intimate knowledge of persons and conditions, at once took a leading part in the formation of a temporary government. The seat of this govern¬ ment, in which all judicial and executive power was centered, was in San Francisco, and the sheriff of that county was the official instrument through whom it was enforced. For this position a man of nerve and of peculiar experience was needed and the choice fell upon John Coffee Hays. He was a native of Tennessee and had been named after Goii. John Coffee of that State, a distin¬ guished officer of the War of 1812 under Gen. Jackson, particularly in his Indian campaign, and was dubbed “brave Jack Coffee,” an appellation which his namesake inherited. The latter was familiarly known as “Jack Hays” the Texas rang¬ er, the famous Indian fighter and cool and intrepid commander in Mexico under Gen. Scott. With ‘‘Mustang” he had been in many a fight and closely associated through the campaign, and was familiar with the stock from which the Freaners sprang. Accordingly his first act was to name as his depty, John A. Freaner, of Hagerstown. This position was filled with signal ability during the provisional term of the office, as well as the full term following the admission of the State into the Union, to which Col. Hays was elected by an over¬ whelming vote of the people, at' the first election held in California as a State. At the conclusion of his collegiate course Buch- 282 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD anan Hall entered the law office of William Price as a student where, before his admission to the Bar, I joined him; John Lind studied medi¬ cine and became a practicing physician. Richard Hammond left West Point as second lieutenant of artillery, and I assumed the duties devolving upon me, upon the death of my father, as editor of the Torch Light. At the height of the gold excitement in 1848 the law as well as the newspaper business in Ha¬ gerstown being somewhat dull, Buchanan Hall pro¬ posed to me to pull up stakes and that we go to California together. It seemed to me an inspira¬ tion and was the first step in the movement later carried out. I was the first to start, on the ship “Nylon" from Baltimore, Eeb. 3, 1849, and did not reach San Francisco until late in October, in consequence of delays in discharging cargo at Rio de Janeiro and Yalpariso and adverse weather off Cape Horn. At Valparaiso, on one of the public streets, I ran upon John Lind, who had sailed from Baltimore in another ship long after me and reached San Francisco ahead of me. On my arrival in San Francisco the ship had scarcely dropped anchor before I was ashore and making for the Parker House, the only hotel in the city, located on Portsmouth Square. Almost the first person I met wag “Jim” Freaner who occupied one of the choice rooms of the house, and that night inflated for me a gum bed which was spread upon the floor of his room, and made me feel at home. From him I learned that a provisional government had been organized and that his broth¬ er John was chief deputy of the Sheriff, as well as a member of an industrial company which had been formed in Hagerstown after I left there. “Dick" Hammond, then a major, who had arrived over the Isthmus of Panama, was hard at work as surveyor in laying out the city of Stockton at the mouth of San Jocquin river, in which he was joint¬ ly interested with the proprietor, Capt. Weber. John Lind was also up in the mines of Calaveras county practicing medicine and of which county he became r< pn-M ntatm in the State legislature as Senator. “Buck” Hall was delayed in his depar¬ ture several months and did not arrive until I had been fully established in the practice of the law in San Francisco with Mr. Hyde Ray Bowie, of Anne Arundel Co.. Md. Whilst thus occupied the first steamship. to “double the Horn” with passengers had arrived in harbor, and aboard of It was Buchanan Hall with his father-in-law, Dr. William Hammond. Mr. Hall’s wife the sister of Richard P. Hammond, and his little son, William, remained at their home in Hagerstown and came out later, as did also Dr. William Hammond, Jr., recently deceas¬ ed, also surgeon in the regular army, who had 1 >ecn married to the daughter of the late Alexander Mitchell. Thus it was that the four Academy boys, all moving by different routes were reunited on the Pacific coast. This was at the commencement of the most mo¬ mentous period in the history of California, when that territory was passing through its transition state of Mexican dependence to sisterhood under the Stars and Stripes. Violence and murder drove an infuriated people into disregard of law and the decrees of a self-constituted organization for a while took its place. It was at this period two ques¬ tions—one national the other State—absorbed the attention of the entire people through successive sessions of the legislature. One was the elction of a United States Senator in place of Dr. Gwin; the other the extension of the water-front of San Francisco. Senator Gwin was a candidate to suc¬ ceed himself and David C. Broderick was his op¬ ponent. The other issue covered what was very properly termed an attempt to appropriate the en¬ tire water-front of San Francisco, for the benefit of the projectors, headed by David C. Broderick and engineered by General James M. Estelle, a state Senator, and which at this day would be denominated “graft.’’ The contest over these issues ran through and monopolized several sessions of the legislature at Vallejo and Benicia, with the aftermath at Sacramento, in turns capitals of the state, resulting in the triumphant defeat of the ’‘Extension Bill” and the election of Senator Brod¬ erick. The Democratic party, then in control, was divided into two factions—one, the New York, headed by Broderick; the other by a combination containing the supporters of Senator Gwin, prin¬ cipally, but not wholly, from the South, of which Major Richard P. Hammond, of Maryland, and CM. John ('. Hays, of Texas, by reason of the commanding positions they held under the Demo¬ cratic administration of President Pierce, were prominent leaders. On the inauguration of that administration a complete change of all the Fed¬ eral officers in the State from Whig to Democratic, was rigidly enforced. Upon Major Hammond de¬ volved the leadership in this work. He had ac- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 283 companiecl the crowd to Washington at the inaug¬ uration of the President and to the surprise of us all on the Pacific coast, as well as to a host of aspirants to the various offices about to be dis¬ pensed, was appointed collector of the Port of San Francisco with its appendages—-the most valuable and in every way the leadine position m the gift of the Administration. Major Hammond' had served with General Pierce in Mexico and his appointment was made upon the personal appre¬ ciation in which he was held by him. At the same time Col. John C. Hays whose term as Sher¬ iff of San Francisco had expired was appointed surveyor general of the State, then in some re¬ spects more 'important than that of collector, as the work under his control involved surveys over a territory of vast extent with diversified interests with accompanying patronage. The return of Major Hammond and Colonel Hays to California with commissions placing them at the head of these two commanding positions on the Pacific coast, was an event which produced some excitement at the time and led to notable results. Among these was the union of the two fariiilies by the marriage of Major Hammond to Mrs. Sally E. Lea, the sister of Colonel Hays and widow of a prominent planter in Louisiana, Dr. Lea. She had come out to the Pacific coast with a large number of the wives and families of newly appointed Federal officials, headed by Mrs. Gwin, the astute and accomplished wife of the then Sen¬ ator. Colonel Hays during his incumbency as Sheriff had revisited Texas and returned with a young wife, a Calvert, descended from the old Maryland family of that name, and known and beloved by all as “Mrs. Susan.” Among other families in this immigration were those of Judges Thornton and Thompson, of the Court of Claims, Colonel Inge, U. S.' district attorney, ex-Governor Foote, of Mississippi, all of Southern proclivitites, constituting a brilliant society in those early times moving in accord with the political leaders. Thus it was that the Hagerstown boys joined hands with those hailing from the extreme South-West, and in one of the most trying periods of the State, exercised a decided influence. It was during these stormy times that I abandoned the practice of law and accepted' the position of assistant editor and reporter in the office of the Daily Herald which had been suddenly vacated by “General” Walker (as he was afterwards known) the commander-in- chief of the filibustering expeditions which ran their course in Mexico and Central America and ended in the capture, trial and shooting of the “General” in Honduras! The position on the Herald I found to be a very congenial one and it was with reluctance I resigned.it to accept a third interest in the “Daily Times and Transcript,” the organ of the Democratic party, tendered me by my friend, Major Hammond, upon his assump¬ tion of the office of collector. The conditions in¬ volved the general management of the paper and it was in the discharge of these that the battle against Senator Broderick and at a later date the Know-Nothing party was waged and lost. This, following upon the advocacy of “Law and Order” against the Vigilance Committee, led to the ex¬ tinction of the Times and Transcript, which was merged in the “Bulletin” and “Morning Cali.” Buchanan Hall upon reaching San Francisco at once commenced the practice of the law in a spacious office on Montgomery street, along with an established attorney Col. Harry Huggins and Henry Clay Mudd, under the firm name of “Hug¬ gins, Hall & Mudd.” Their business was most promising when the great fire of 1851 swept away, not only their office but its entire contents, in¬ cluding the valuable library which Mr. Hall had taken with him, and all his wearing apparel not in use. This so thoroughly disgusted him with’ San Francisco, that he at once accepted the proposition to become the legal advisor of Col. Weber, Lhe proprietor a little town on the San Joaquin River, called Tulesburg, upon the area of which the young city of Stockton had been laid out by his brother-in-law, Maj. Hammond as engineer. There exclusively devoted to the practice of his profession, the remainder of his life was passed. In the death of his wife, which occurred some ten years ago, devoted as he was to domestic life, the loss would have been irreparable but for the com¬ panionship of- his son and affectionate care of his daughter, Mary Buchanan, who assumed the re¬ sponsibilities of the household, in which, to the end, he found an ideal home. Dr. Lind, as Senator from the important min¬ ing county in which he had served among that population as a physician, was a valuable auxiliary in the legislature to the opponents of Broderick and the Extension Bill. Upon the expiration of his term as Senator he was called to San Francisco by Major Hammond to take charge, as resident physician, of the new U. S. Marine Hospital then just completed and opened, of which the collector 284 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of the port had ex-officio, entire control. This was a large and beautiful structure on Rincon Hill, oyer looking*, from the south, the city, and a delightful home which was occupied by Dr. Lind till his return to Philadelphia where his days were ended. The distinction shown the former Hagcrs- towner by the President, in appointing him of his own accord to perhaps the most lucrative, and cer¬ tainly one of the most important, positions in his gift on the Pacific coast, seemed to revive, in the former home of its recipient, the enthusiasm of 1849, and on his return to California the new collector of the port was accompanied by a host of old associates and friends, adding largely to the Washington County contingent which already fill¬ ed an important place in the newly acquired terri¬ tory. At a later period and about the close of the Civil War this contingent was enhanced by the addition of an entire family, that of Mr. Peregrine Fitzhugh who, with his wife and five of his daughters and a son removed bodily to San Francisco and entered upon a new life upon the Pacific coast. There, surrounded by their child¬ ren and their grandchildren, a few years since they closed their lives—Mr. Fitzhugh at the age of eighty-six and his wife, eighty-four. Mr, Fitz- hugh’s father was Peregrine Fitzhugh and mother, Sophia Clagett, sister of the late David, Samuel and Hezekiah Clagett and of the wife of Dr. Fred¬ erick Dorsey, Sr. xls nephew and heir of his aunt, the widow of the late Benjamin Galloway, Mr. Fitzhugh inherited a very large estate in this and Frederick counties and Baltimore city, among which were ( atort in Furnace and the home of the Galloways, now one of the land marks of Hagers¬ town on the lot at the corner of Washington and Jonathan streets, owned by Edward W. Mealey, Esq,, upon the rear of which, on Jonathan street, donated by the present proprietor, stands the Washington County Free Library. William, the only son of Ur. Fitzhugh, became a graduate of the University of California. His daughters are, (1), Mary Pottinger Fitzhugh, married Dr. May¬ nard McPherson, of Maryland, now living in Cal¬ ifornia with their children: Margaret Touchard, Isabelle Fitzhugh McCrackin and William Smith McPherson, secretary of the Sierra Mining Co. and the Gold Hill Water Works. (2), Sophia Fitzhugh, wife of Major McPherson, with two children: Mary Buchanan and Fitzhugh McPher¬ son, of San Francisco. (3), Isabelle Perryman, dec'd. (4), Meta McP. Fitzhugh, wife of Gen. Howard Thompson, of the Bank of California and their two children : Dr. Thompson and Meta, of California. (5), Catharine Fitzhugh, wife of William Hammond Hall, who with their three daughters, Anna, Catharine and Margaret, reside in the delightful residential section of San Fran¬ cisco, midway between the ocean and the bay. William Hammond Hall, born in Hagerstown, was quite a lad, when with his mother he joined his father John Buchanan Hall, in Stockton. Thus at the early age and at the mouth of the San Joaquin River, the entreport of the great southern mining counties of the State, whose waters bore down not only the gold hut the wash¬ ings of the Sierras, he commenced a practical edu¬ cation in connection with his technical studies of hydrology and mining, which elevated him to the highest rank in his profession. The washpan and the rocker of early days have been superceded by the hydraulic system, whereby the waters of the Sierras are conducted from their heights through canals and flumes across gulches to gold bearing deposits below, which, with mighty force, deftly applied washes away the mountain side. The same system gradually extended to the irrigation of the valleys, renders also the agricultural interest dependant in a great degree, upon the scientific application of the waters of the State, thus exalt¬ ing the profession of the engineer to the highest rank and most useful .vocation within its borders. It was as such that Mr. Hall entered upon his work not only as a professional but a practical man of business, and as the author of a series of works upon mining engineering in general, but particularly devoted to hydraulic interests. These works are considered of the highest authority both at home and abroad and have been translated into the languages of a number of foreign countries where they are used as text books and have elicited from those countries many medals of value and rtther distinctions. As an official and professional endnecr from his manhood to the present time Mr. Hall’s place of residence has been the city of San Francisco. One of his early official positions was that of engineer of the Golden Gate Park which was laid out by him. Later he filled the office of Slate Engineer with offices ai the Capitol. Some years after the collapse of the Jamison episode in the Transvaal, South Africa, in which his cousin, OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 285 John Hays Hammond, had so conspicuous a part, Mr. Flail was employed by several of the foreign corporations concerned in the gold mining and diamond developments of South Africa of which Cecil Rhodes was chief to supervise the hydraulic operations necessary to their irrigation and espec¬ ially the discovery and development of the sources to which that system could be applied. Upon this work Mr. Flail had made much progress which was arrested by the breaking out of the Boer War and was terminated by his return to the United States. William Fitzhugh, the only son of Peregrine Fitzhugh, who then a child, accompanied his fath¬ er’s family to California, grew up in that State and graduated at the University of California and at once entered into business in San Francisco and became prominent. As such he was made town and county surveyor. Subsequently he was employ¬ ed by the Consolidated Gold Fields Co. of Eng¬ land as its engineer, the duties of which required his personal inspection of its mining interests in various countries of the world, including the wiids of Siberia, of Alaska, of Australia and such other remote places as were supposed to contain gold. His home was originally in Paris, where he has resided with his wife, Mary Marsh, of California, and two children, during late years, interrupted only by occasional visits with his family to his relatives in this country. His success in life has been such as to lead to his present establishment in London where he has built a home. The-family of Richard P. Hammond consisted of three sons: .John Hays, (named after his uncle, Colonel Hays) ; Henry Truett, (after a merchant of San Francisco, a warm friend of his father); Richard P., Jr., and a daughter, Elizabeth, a mem¬ ber of the family of her elder brother. In London and elsewhere she developed remarkable talent as a writer and is noted for her brilliancy of mind. Henry and Richard, Jr., are dead, the former hav¬ ing passed through the West Point Military Acad¬ emy, after brief service in the army, resigned and engaged in the practice of law in San Francisco, and was either' nominated or elected to the ofFice of City Attorney when his death occurred. The younger son, bearing his father’s name, and barely of age, was appointed by President Cleveland, U. S. Marshal for the northern district of California. This was said to have been under the impression that it was the senior of the name thus honored, but upon the attention of the President being call¬ ed to it, and upon further inquiry, he directed the appointment to stand as one quite fitting to be made. John Hays Hammond was born in 1855. As the companion of his father through life and the friend of his mother from the day she landed in San Francisco until my departure in 1857 my connection with the families of Colonel Hays and Major Hammond was necessarily intimate and a delightful remembrance. Young John had then attained his second year and when next we met it was in Hagerstown, on the occasion of his marriage to Miss Natalie Harris, the daughter of Judge Harris, of Mississippi, and niece of General Har¬ ris, a member of Congress from that State, by whom she had been adopted. She had met Mr. Hammond in Europe while he was prosecuting his work as a mining engineer and she on a tour of the Continent. Her sister was the wife of Dr. Broderick, of Hancock, and the marriage took place there, which was the occasion of the visit.of Mr. Hammond to Washington County. His career during this intermediate time and immediately after his marriage forms an interest¬ ing episode in the history of the latter half of the nineteenth century. According to his biography he graduated at Yale, took a mining course at Freiburg, German)', and was mining expert on tne •U. S. Geological Survey and Mineral Census for examination of the California gold fields. In 1882 he became superintendent of silver mines in Sonora, Mexico, and was consulting engineer in gold and iron companies of Grass A 7 alley, Califor¬ nia. In 1893 he went to Africa as consulting en¬ gineer of a London gold mining company and as such became connected with the chartered com¬ pany of British South Africa and other organiza¬ tions. Then followed the Jamison affair, forming the most thrilling incident in his romantic and adventurous life and which resulted in his trial, condemnation and sentence to death. This Presi¬ dent Kruger commuted to fifteen y6ars in prison and he was finall)' released by the Boers upon pay¬ ment of a fine of $125,000. Upon his release and return to the fields of his former labor with en¬ hanced distinction in his profession, he had the satisfaction to find his mining property in Colo¬ rado and elsewhere greatly advanced in value, en¬ abling him not only to endow his alma mater, the University of Yale, with the munificent gift of a hall, but also to tender his services as lecturer in advancement of the profession of engineer to which he was so greatly indebted. Thus occupied, he has 386 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD since passed his time surrounded by his family, in affluence and independence, between London and Yale. I had scarcely finished the preparation of the preceding narration when at the instance of Dallas Brenner, one of the associates of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of our County, the paper appended hereto was handl’d me by his niece, Miss Nellie Watson. She had but recently found it on the attic floor of tiie old mansion in the Mitchell Ad¬ dition to Hagerstown, occupied by her parents, and for many years the home of the Mitchell fam¬ ily, one of the daughters of which was the wife of Dr. William Hammond, Jr., the brother of Richard P. Hammond. Hagerstown, June 23rd, 1848. Lt. Richard P. Hammond, II. S. Army. Dear Sir:—In view of your gallant and dis¬ tinguished conduct in Mexico in the service of your Country and in view of the high estimate placed by your friends and associates upon your character as a gentleman and a soldier, the under¬ signed are anxious to tender to you some mark of their respect and to offer some evidence of the pleasure they feel upon your safe return to your native Country. They therefore beg leave to ten¬ der to you a public dinner to be' given in Hagers¬ town at such time as may suit your convenience, and to express the hope that it may be convenient and agreeable to you to accept this unostentatious mark of their esteem and friendship. Very respectfully, your friends, JOHN THOMPSON MASON. G. HOWARD HOLLINGSWORTH, JAMES WASON. ISAAC NESBITT. WM. HOTTER. JERVIS SPENCER. JACOB HOLLIN OS WORTH. D. WEIS lib. WM. CLINE. R. II. LAWRENCE, CHAS. II. ENOCH. Z. S. C RAGGETT. C. S1IEEPERD. EDWIN BELL. The death of John Buchanan Hall occurred just a fortnight before the great convulsion of the ,18th of April,, 1000, destroying the city in which fifty-five years before hfi had been literally baptised in fire, and from the contemplation of which he was thus saved by so short a span. Almost simul¬ taneously with the announcement of the great ca¬ lamity, which had befallen this emporium of the Pacific, came to his family and friends, here, the tidings of his death, in a letter written by his son to Col. Buchanan Schley, whose mother was the elder sister of the deceased. In it the life and death of the last of my companions are so affection¬ ately portrayed that permission has been given me to make use of it, which I do by submitting the following extracts, more eloquent than any lan¬ guage I could use in closing these my reminis- eeiises. It is as follows: April 13th, 1906. Stockton, Cal. ‘'‘Col. Buchanan Schley: Hagerstown, Md. “Dear Buck:—Mv dear old Father has gone to his long rest after an illness of two weeks, the last four or five days of which, only, seemed to be alarmingly severe. He died peacefully in the early morning of the 4th just. It was a case of a man conscientiously and industriously working himself to death. Several specially heavy jobs of work in the way of preparing an appeal and application for rehearing and new trial, involving long and exhausting work, piled in upon him in close succession. He would not ask for time ex¬ tensions but stuck to the work and completed it all—hundreds of pages of typed M. S.—very many pages in print." After tracing in detail the pro¬ gress of the disease and accompanying treatment, the writer adds that, "what is called senile pneu¬ monia developed, and he steadily declined, grow¬ ing weaker and less conscious, the heart trouble, 0:1 course, being heightened by the pneumonia and tlie latter being hastened by the former, until the end came. He made a gallant fight for life, but 8,1 years is. a far advanced age at which to contend with such a combination.” The writer then adds: “We buried him by Mother's side in a lot 1 have in a most beautiful cemetery near Oak¬ land.” And in conclusion as if moved by an irrosistable impulse writes: "He was a great strong Oak in the community, looked upon and respected by all who knew him, and died in the proud consciousness of having c&rne'd an honest liv¬ ing ri>;ht up to the end. J oujr devoted cousin, WM. HAM. HALL.” OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 287 CHAPTER XIX Ip YING upon the table before me as I write |H H is a copy of “Headley’s Life of Washing- ton” which is connected with one of the most startling events in the history of the United States. One evening in the early Autumn of 1859, as a quiet family in the Tilghmanton District of Washington County was gathered around the first fire of the season, there came a rap at the door. The visitor, upon being admitted, announced him¬ self as I. Stearnes, a book agent, selling Headley’s Life of Washington and a life of Napoleon Bona- part. A copy of each book was bought from hifii, and his request for a night’s lodging was cheer¬ fully complied with by the hospitable farmer. The man was in appearance a typical Yankee from down-east—lean, thin visaged and of a sanctimon¬ ious countenance, but of youthful appearance When supper was announced, the “grace” pronounced over the meal by the stranger was of such inordinate and extravagant length that the patience of the child¬ ren of the family became nearly exhausted. After supper Stearns made some excuse to leave the room and was shortly hard conversing with the negroes in the kitchen. It was afterwards learned that he was inviting them to join an insurrection, kill their master and obtain their freedom. The prop¬ osition was rejected with horror and' indignation by the faithful servants and the emissary return¬ ed to the sitting room discomfited and crestfallen. This man was Captain Cook, one of the emissar- ries of John Brown. One day in July, 1859, Judge Jacob Fiery, of Washington County, was just finishing his har¬ vest on his farm, three miles south,of Hagerstown, as an elderly man with a grizzly beard, accom¬ panied by a young man, came up to his house. He introduced himself as I. Smith, and thp young man as his son. Mr. Fiery was at that time ad¬ ministrator of the estate of Dr. R. F. Kennedy, and had charge of a farm near the Maryland Heights, three miles from Harper’s Ferry. Smith as he called himself, told Mr. Fiery that he had been livng in the North and had been suffering from the extreme cold of the climate, and had de¬ termined to locate in the South, and he had called on Mr. Fiery to purchase from him the Kennedy farm. He believed there were valuable minerals in the mountain, he said. Mr. Fiery told him that he could not sell the farm until the court passed a decree, so he rented the place, paying the first quarter’s rent in advance. He paid this bill, as he afterwards did all his bills, in gold, saying he was a stranger, and wished to pay as he went, and pay in good money. Several times Mr. Fiery had occasion to visit his strange tenant. Upon one occasion he observed and remarked upon the tame¬ ness and gentleness of the cattle. Smith replied that wherever he lived he had everything around him to love him. Upon another occasion a man brought some cattle to sell to him. Before he would negotiate at all, he went into the house and had prayer. He said he made it a rule never to enter upon any business transactions without first praying. Later on, upon visiting the farm, Mr. Fiery saw a large number of draw knives and asked what he proposed to do with them. The answer was he had been in Chambersburg and saw them very cheap and bought them, knowing that when he began his mining operations he would need 288 HISTORY AND BIOGBAPHICAL RECOED them to make pick handles. This man was no other than John Brown. On Honda)', October 17, 1839, news of an outbreak at Harper’s Ferry reached Hagerstown by telegraph from Frederick. A body of armed men, it was said, had taken possession of the rail road bridges, had fired into the express train, and committed other outrages, and a company of mi¬ litia from Frederick had been ordered to the Ferry to quell the disturbance. The cause of the trou¬ ble and the character of the rioters could only be conjectured. The rioters were painted black, it was sajd, and were supposed to be workmen in the employ of the Messrs. Snovel, builders of the great government dam, driven to mutiny by non-pay¬ ment of their wages. At 5 o’clock the same eve¬ ning, another dispatch was received from Fred¬ erick, announcing that the rioters had killed sev¬ eral persons and had imprisoned all the best citi¬ zens of the town in the jail, of which they had taken possession. j£o person was allowed to leave the town, and all who entered it were imprisoned. The meaning of the riot was still a mystery. This much was learned, and then the wires were cut. The next day reliable news of the events at Harper’s Ferry were received, and great was the commotion produced. This County had been the headquarters of the conspirators and their base of operations. It was suddenly remembered that strange men had been prowling about the County in the guise of book-agents, making observations and doubtless tampering with the slaves. It was remembered that Brown himself had been in Ha¬ gerstown a short time before, and had quietly board¬ ed at one of the hotels without exciting suspicion. The house on the Kennedy farm in Sample’s Manor was the rendezvous of Brown’s gang. To this place all things required for the undertaking were ordered to be sent. All arms and ammuni¬ tion were shipped in double boxes, so that the carters could not guess at the contents of the boxes they were handling. All consignments were made to I. Smith and Son. At Brown’s house there were never more than twenty-two men at one time. These were ostensibly engaged in making search for minerals in the mountains; but their real oc¬ cupation, whilst awaiting the signal for revolt* was making handles with the draw knives already mentioned for the pikes or spears with which it was proposed to arm the negroes, rather than with lire arms, the use of which they did not under¬ stand. The handles to these weapons were clum¬ sily and roughly made, and the heads were the work of ordinary blacksmiths. Brown had col¬ lected in the house two hundred Sharp’s rifles, two hundred Maynard’s revolvers and a thousand spears and tomahawks. An abundance of ammu¬ nition had also been procured. Brown claimed afterwards in an interview with Governor Wise, whilst he was awaiting trial, that he had a right to expect reinforcements to the number of five thousand, but that the blow was struck too soon. This aid was, it was supposed, expected by Brown to come from the Korth. If the reliance was upon the negroes, the expectation was based upon Browns misapprehension of the, condition of slavery and the relations existing between the slaveholders and the slaves. He supposed that the blacks hated their owners, and only awaited the coming of a deliverer. On the contrary the blacks at the first ttttws of the outbreak fled to their masters for pro¬ tection against Brown and his gang, whom they believed to be secretly slave-catchers, intending to sell them to Georgia. It seemed almost beyond belief that a man in his right mind should have made such a venture; with an assured party of but twenty-two men, to raise the standard of re¬ bellion against the Government of the United States, which, when the time came, had no difficul¬ ty in quelling the whole disturbance with a few dozen marines. It is true that Brown may have expected immediate rising of the entire slave pop¬ ulation and doubtless did. But he had no reason whatever for any such reliance. Between eleven and twelve o’clock on Sunday night, October 16, 1859, “Ossawattamie” Brown, at the head of about eighteen followers, left the Sample’s Manor farm house, crossed the Potomac on the bridge of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and stealthily entered the little village of Har¬ per's Ferry. The first point of attack was the United States AmSaftl. That such a place should have been left unguarded and unprotected save by a single watchman is indeed hard to believe. But such was the case. The conspirators knock¬ ed at the gate, and the watchman refusing to open it, it was the work of but a few minutes to beat the gate down, to enter and take nossession. A strong brick engine-house was occupied as a for¬ tress, and into it were conveyed the arms and ammuniton which had been brought from the Ken¬ nedy farm. From midnight on Sunday until af- fcfS mid-day on Monday the insurrectionists had undisputed possession of the town. During that OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 289 time they received no assistance or sympathy from any citizen of Harper’s Perry. They seized the slaves of Col. Lewis Washington and Mr. Allstadt, near ' Harper’s Ferry and upon five or six belonging to residents of the town, whom they found in the streets. Spears were placed in the hands of two or three of them and they were com¬ pelled to stand sentinel at the door of the engine house. But they threw away their weapons and fled at the first opportunity. All the captured negroes were terrified. In the early hours of the morning, a num¬ ber of the principal citizens were arrested and im¬ prisoned in the jail. One train of cars was per¬ mitted to nass through and in not stopping it, Brown declared he had committed a great blun¬ der. The telegraph soon Hashed the news through¬ out the country, and miltary companies all over the land, as far off as Boston, telegraphed to the President and to the Governor of Virginia, offers of their services. The first offer the President received was from the Frederick Companies, and it was promptly accepted. Three companies from Baltimore also started up, and on the way were joined by Col. Robert E. Lee with a small body of marines. But in the meantime armed men were pouring into the town from the surrounding country. A special train came in from Martins- burg and brought a company under the command of Capt. Alburtus, a veteran of the Mexican war. These, approaching the engine-house, were repuls- * Shortly after the breaking out of the “John Brown Insurrection” at Harper’s Ferry, the original copy of the following verses was found in the house occupied by Brown on the Kennedy farm in Sandy Hook district. They were written by George W. Putnam and read at an anti-slavery meeting held April 13, 1857_ at Peterboro, Madison county, New York. The original was in the possession of William Brashears of Sharpsburg. JOHN BROWN. In this age of brazen insolence, Of shame and frightful crime, Treason to truth all boundless. Blackening the page of time. Human rights are trampled under By slavery’s bloody band 'And men for love of freedom Are hunted through the land. We read our Country’s history; And the quickened pulse beats on As we scan the fearful perils Which summoned freedom’s dawn. ed by a volley from Brown’s party which wounded five. Col. Lee and his marines soon arrived^ lost no time in battering down the door of the “fort” and captured or killed the entire party. Brown himself was severely wounded, having fought with great determination and bravery. This having been accomplished, Lieut. Simpson was dispatched at the head of a detachment of “Independent Greys” of Baltimore, upon information that Cap¬ tain Cook and a party occupied an old log school house in Sample’s Manor, near Maryland Heights, and about a mile from the Ferry. Arriving in sight of the cabin, it appeared to be closely barri¬ caded. The troops charged upon it, battered down the door, and entered. The occupants had just fled, leaving behind them sixteen boxes of arms and ammunition, besides a large number of Sharp’s rifles scattered over the floor. These things were loaded into a wagon which Brown had recently captured; two horses found grazing near were hitched to it, and the party returned to Harper’s Ferry. The marks upon the captured boxes of arms had been obliterated, but enough was left to show that they came from Cincinnati. Some of them were directed to “J. Smith & Sons, Cham- bersburg, Pa., by American Express Co.” or “by railroad via Pittsburg and Harrisburg.”* Shortly after the return of this party to Har¬ per’s Ferry, it was reported that Cook had been seen upon Maryland Heights. A party consisting of about twenty marines and about the same num- And as we read we feel the gloom. And darkness of that hour When the little band of Patriots Met the Briton’s myriad power. And our hearts beat o’er the record How on the April morn O’er the hills of Massachusetts Rang the freeman’s signal horn And armed from their homestead Through every rocky glen Up to the green at Lexington Hurried the minute men. How ere the sun descended The young spring grass was red, For many a manly form that day Lay down on Glory’s bed. How from fallen tree and stone wall Poured the Patriot’s laden hail, Plow the red coats back to Boston Left their dead upon their trail! We read how Marion’s Mountaineers Like the wild torrent’s flow 290 HISTORY AND BIOGEAPHICAL EECOED ber of volunteers, under Captain J. E. B. Stu¬ art, was immediately sent in pursuit. They fol¬ lowed the County road leading from Harper’s Ferry up through Sample’s Manor, and soon reach¬ ed the Kennedy farm, Brown’s headquarters, about four and a half miles distant. The house was found in great confusion, a fire still burning and a savage mastiff was tied by a rope to the porch. Considerable quantities of provisions and clothing had been left in the hasty flight. Eight or ten trunks and as many valises and carpet-bags had been broken open and their contents left scattered over the floor. The most important discovery was a trunk full of papers, correspondence and docu¬ ments, givng Brown’s plans and expectations. On Wednesday, October 26, Cook was arrested near Quincy, in Eranklin Count}', Pa., by Daniel Logan and Clagett Fitzhugh, both formerly citi¬ zens of Washington County. Cook with three oth¬ ers of Brown’s gang had been left to guard the Kennedy house and its contents. Leaving his charge, he went to Harper’s Ferry and there found Brown besieged in the engine-house. He then re¬ turned to the Maryland side, and after firing a few shots across the river took to the mountains, following them until he came to Mont Alto Iron At the dark hour of midnight Swept down upon the foe! Lo! this day beholds a nobler, Sterner struggle for our race, And the Marion of Kansas Is with us face to face! Bravely o’er Missouri’s border He the slaves to freedom led; And for this he lives an outlaw, With a price upon his head! And ten thousand heartless poltroons, Bending low the pliant knee, But for their shrinking cowardice Would claim the bloody fee. Few are his words—but oft along. The Border Ruffian’s Hell, For freedom’s cause.his rifle’s tongue Hath spoken loud and well! Wheresoe’er o’er the broad prairie, Are camped the settlers free, They bless the band led by John Brown Of Ossawattamie! We have watched thee in thy bivouac On thy weary march by day, Prayed the angels keep thee safely In the midnight’s wild foray. And the noble band thou leadest Battling ’gainst dark Slavery’s cause— Works. He bad traveled by night and remained in hiding all day, suffering greatly from exposure and want of food. When he arrived in the vicin¬ ity of Mt. Alto he had been fasting for sixty hours. He went to the furnace for something to eat. There he met Mr. Fitzhugh and asked him to sell him some bacon for himself, and some com¬ panions who were hunting in the mountains. A reward of fifteen hundred dollars had been offer¬ ed for the capture of Cook. He was accurately described, and Fitzhugh at once suspected that the fugitive was (in his presence. He thereupon told him that bacon could be had at Mr. Logan’s house, and the two went there together. Fitzhugh whispered his suspicions to Logan, who was a powerful man, and the latter seized Cook and se¬ cured him, after a short and fierce struggle in which the captors only saved themselves by pinion¬ ing Cook’s arms so that he could not draw the revolver with which he was armed. It was men¬ tioned at the time as a curious circumstance that Fitzhugh was the nephew, by marriage, of the two great abolition leaders of the country—Birney and Gerrit Smith. Cook was carried to the Chambers- burg jail, and there detainel until the arrival of the requisition of the Governor of Virginia. On Are shrined with our inmost hearts— Are household words with us! He shall be blessed forever Who for truth and justice pleads. But blessed thrice is he who adds The majesty of Deeds! And by thy acts of daring, Our words seem cold and poor. For well we know the record , Of the man we stand before! Greeting we call to those who dwell On Kansas’ hallowed sod. Ho brethren! “keep- your powder, dry And put your trust in God!” Take your free homes upon the soil, Free path upon the flood, Though ye wall that land with corses And make it wet with blood! Long may thy stalwart presence Guard Freedom’s border line, Long to the pining bondman, Be it Freedom’s seal and sign; Long may God help the rescue Of the suffering and the dumb— Make thy firm soul sterner, stronger For the struggle yet to come! OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 291 the way from Chambersburg to Charlestown, a stop was made at the Washington House in Hagers¬ town and there the wretched man, a mere boy in appearance, short in stature, with light hair and delicate features, dirty, ragged, cowering and trembling, was exhibited to a large crowd of peo¬ ple who had assembled, and who were astonished at his miserable appearance, especially as he was supposed to be a man of indomitable courage. Cook was a natiye of Connecticut, the son of respectable parents, who had educated him for the law. Hav¬ ing no taste for this study he abandoned it and took to roaming over the country. His family had lost all trace of him until his connection wu. the dreadful outbreak at Harper’s Ferry was an¬ nounced. Governor Williard of Indiana was his brother-in-law, and loyally supported him in his dire distress, procuring as his counsel, to defend him at his trial, Mr. Daniel W. Voorhees, whose eloquent appeal to the jury for mercy brought tears to the eyes of every one in the audience which filled die Court House. The following is a brief summary of the events of the memorable insurrection, written in 1899 for the Baltimore Sun by Henry D. Beall, for many-years a member of the editorial staff of that paper, who was present at the trial of John Brown and reported it for the newspapers. Sunday evening, October 16, 1859, Brown an¬ nounced that the time had arrived for the attack on Harper’s Ferry. This place had been selected because it was not far to send freed slaves across the narrow strip of Maryland into Pennsylvania, and because Brown knew the United States arsenal there was not well guarded. At that time Brown had with him the following men: Whites—Oliver and Walter Brown, his sons of New York; Aaron C. Stevens, John E. Cook and Stewart Taylor, of Connecticut; Edwin Coppee, Iowa; Albert Haslett, Pennsjdvania; William H. Leenian and Charles P. Tidd, Maine; William Thompson and Dolph Thompson, New York; John Ivagi, Ohio; Jerry Anderson, Indiana; Allen -Evans, Connecticut. Negroes—Daingerfield Newbry, Ohio; 0. P. Anderson, Pennsylvania: - Emperor, New York; Lewis L. Leary and John Copeland, Ohio; Shields Green, Pennsylvania. Cook was left to guard the Kennedy farm -and the weapons there. The night of the start was cold and dark, ending in rain. The little party marched across the bridge and into Har¬ per’s Ferry at 10 :30 o’clock. They broke into the arsenal gate, overpowered the watchmen on duty and seized the place. Before midnight the village was quietly patrolled by Brown’s men, and six had been sent to bring in certain neighboring plan¬ ters and their slaves. While they were gone some others of the party were busy arresting prominent citizens of the town. A small but strong brick engine house near the railroad was selected as headquarters, and into this the prisoners were placed. Eight or ten slaves were seized, given spears and made to stand guard about the place. By midday Monday 30 or 40 of the leading citizens had been captured and imprisoned, as well as a number of workmen who were seized while on their way to work early in the morning. Until 1893 the historic old engine house was an object of great interest to travelers over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, standing near the track, and bearing in large letters the words “J olm Brown’s Fort.” The building was removed bodily to the Chicago Expositon, and after remaining there for some time after the World’s Fair closed, was brought back to Harper’s Ferry and re-erected, although not on the former site, which had been covered by a change of railroad tracks. News of the attack on Harper’s Ferry caused intense excitement throughout the country. The first reports were that there had been a general up¬ rising of slaves, headed by 250 abolitionists, and the exact number of the raiders was not definitely known until they were captured early Tuesday morning. The first information of the affair was brought by Conductor Phelps, of a Baltimore and Ohio train, who Was allowed to come- east after having been held up from 1 to 5 o’clock Monday morning. Phelps, who was a Baltimorean, had sev¬ eral conferences with Brown, who was then called Anderson. Curiously enough, their first victim of an enterprise intended .to free negroes was a colored employe of the railroad, named Playward Shep¬ pard, who was shot Sunday night because he did not surrender quickly enough. Upon receipt of the news President Buchanan sent a company of United States marines from Washington to Harper’s Ferry, and Maryland and Virginia State troops -were also ordered there. The marines were' in command of Lieutenant Green, and Col. Robert E. Lee, who had been living in Baltimore several years, while superin- 292 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD tending the construction of Fort Carroll, was sent to take command of all military operations at Har¬ per’s Ferry. With him, as aide, went Lieut. J. JL B. Stuart, afterward the famous Confederate cavalry leader. The Baltimore military left on special trains shortly after 3 o'clock Monday afternoon, October 17, the departure being witnessed by thousands of persons who thronged the vicinity of Camden Sta¬ tion. The following commands went: Law Grays, 31 men, Lieut. J. C. Brown; Shields’ Guards, 30 men, Captain Chaisty; Independent Grays, 37 men, Lieutenant Simpson; Wells and Mc-Comas Rifles, 32 men. Capt. George W. Bowers; Battalion of City Guards, 82 men, Major Joseph P. Warner, with three companies commanded by Capt. Lloyd B. Parks, Capt. John G. Johannes and Caprain Woodhouse. Major E. Swinney and Adjutant W. H. Evans, of the First Rifle Regiment, accompa¬ nied the Wells and Mc-Comas Rifles. The entire command numbered about 223 men, and was un¬ der Gen. C, C. Egerton, who had as staff officers Majors Carr, Kellinger, Howard and Radciiife, and Dr. J. IV. R. Dunbar, surgeon. The Baltimore troops were joined at the Relay by the marines from Washington, and about 5 o’clock all started for Harper’s Ferry, which was reached shortly after midnight. It was found that the raiders had been sur¬ rounded in their improvised fort since 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The town people had in a measure recovered from their fright, had armed themselves and, reinforced by a number of railroad men from Martinsburg, under Captain Allmrtus, had given battle to the raiders and driven them into the en¬ gine house. In this fight Mr. Evan L. Dorsey, a Baltimore and Ohio conductor, was shot in the stomach and for some time was thought to be fatally wounded. He went with the other railroadmen from Martins¬ burg. Mr. Dorsey was shot by Oliver Brown, and the latter was shot and killed, it is supposed, by Mr. Dorsey. Several of the attacking party were badly wounded. The United States marines arrived at 2 :30 Tuesday morning, the Baltimore troops who accompanied them being left on the Maryland side of the river to prevent the escape of any of the raiders. At 7 A. M. Colonel Lee called upon Brown to surrender. He refused, and an attack upon his fort was at once made. The marines, under Lieutenant Green.,, battered down the door with ladders, and after a fierce fight, captured the surviving raiders. Only six were alive, all the oth¬ ers, including Brown’s two sons, having been kill¬ ed. Several were killed while trying to escape fi»oss the river. John Brown and several of the survivetst‘were badly wounded. Col. Lewis W. Washington, Mr. Dangeriidd, a clerk; Mr. Hall, master machinist; Mr. Mills, master armorer; Dr. Murphy, paymaster; Mr. Kitzmiller, superintendent's clerk, and, Mr. Dono- l;t:e. a railroad clerk, who had been held as hos¬ tages by Brown, were released. Colonel Washing¬ ton had been taken from his bed Sunday niglit at his hoo8j| near Harper’s Ferry. With him the raiders captured the handsome sword which had lieen presented to Gen. George Washington by Frederick the Great of Prussia. The surviving raiders were Brown, Copeland, Green, Coppee, Haslett and Stevens. The following were killed by the raiders dur¬ ing their occupancy of the town: Fontains Beck¬ ham, railroad agent; Hayward Sheppard, colored, porter; Thomas Boerly, grocer; George W. Turner, of the Charleston military; Private Quinn, of the marines, and a number of persons were wounded. Tuesday the Baltimore Independent Grays, under Lieutenants Simpson and Ivershner, made a scout on the Maryland side and in a schoolhouse near the Kennedy farm found a large quantity of fire-arms and spears. All the Baltimore troops returned home Tuesday evening. The trial of John Brown began October 28, at Charlestown. Judge Richard Parker presided. The jurors were Richard Timberlake, Joseph My¬ ers, Thomas Watson, Jr., Isaac Dust, John C. Mc¬ Clure, William Rightstine, Jacob J. Miller, Thomas Osborne, Geo W Boyer, John C. Wilt¬ shire, George W. Tapp and William A. Martin. Mr. Boyer is the only survivor of the 12. He lives near Shenandoah Junction, W. AM. Lawson Bolts and Thomas C. Green, of the Charlestown bar, were assigned to defend Brown. Later, George II. Hoyt, of Boston ; LI. Griswold, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Samuel Chilton, of Washing¬ ton, D. C , arrived and took charge of the defense. Alter a trial lasting six days the prisoner was convicted of treason, insurrection and murder. The other prisagagrs were subsequently convicted. Cook who was a brother-in-law of Gov. A. P. Willard, of Indiana, had been captured’in Penn¬ sylvania, a few days after the raid. Governor Willard brought some of the best counsel in In- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAKYLAND. 293 dianna to defend him. The appeal of Daniel W. Voorliees to the jury has ever since been spoken of as a masterpiece of eloquence. Brown was hanged at 11:15 A. M. Friday, December 2. Over 1,200 military, under com¬ mand of Gen. W. B. Taliaferro, guarded the town and jail, and no one was allowed to approach the prisoner. It has long been believed that on,his way to the gallows Brown stooped and kissed a negro child. A well-known Baltimore newspaper man who reported the hanging for his paper, says no such thing occurred. Brown marched from his cell to the wagon between solid lines of soldiers; the wagon on the way to the gallows was sur¬ rounded by soldiers, and no one except the mili¬ tary was allowed to be within several hundred yards of the gallows. At no time could a person approach Brown. The body of Brown was taken by his wife to North Elba, N. Y., for burial. Cook and Coppie and the two negroes, Green and Copeland, were hanged December 16, and Stevens and Haslett were hanged March 16, 1860. An investigation of the raid was subsequently made by a committee of the United States Senate. *In the 36th Congress, the Senate, on Dec. 14, 1859, appointed a committee to investigate the John Brown raid. The committee was composed of Sen¬ ators James M. Mason chairman, Jefferson Davis, G. N. Fitch, J. Collamer and J. R. Doolittle. The first three joined in the majority report and the other two made a minority report. The following is extracted from the majority report: “The committee find from the testimony that this so called invasion originated with a man named John Brown who conducted it in person. It appears that Brown had been for some previous years in¬ volved in the late difficulties in the territory of Kansas. He went there at an early day after the settlement of the territory began and either took with him, or was joined by several sons and, per¬ haps, sons-in-law, and, as shown by the proof, was extensively connected with many of the lawless mil¬ itary expeditions belonging to the history of those times. It would appear from the testimony of more than one of the witnesses, that, before leaving the territory, he fully admitted that he had not gone there with any view to permanent settlement; but that finding all the elements of strife and intestine war there in full operation, created by the division of sentiment between those constituting what were called the free-State and the slave-State parties, his purpose was, by participating in it, to keep the pub¬ lic mind inflamed on the subject of slavery in the country with a view to effect such organizations as might enable him to bring about servile insurrection in the slave States. “To carry these plans into execution it appears that, in the winter of 1S57-58, he collected a number of young men in the Territory of Kansas, most of whom appeared with him afterwards at Harper's Ferry, and placed them under military instruction at a place called Springdale, in the State of Iowa, their instructor being one of the party thus collect¬ ed, and one who, it was said, had some military train¬ ing. These men were maintained by Brown; and in the spring of 1858 he took them with him to the town of Chatham in Canada, where he claimed to have summoned a convention for the purpose of or¬ ganizing a provisional government, as preliminary to his descent upon one of the slave States [The report then gives some account of the proceedings of that convention and mentions the fact that John E. Cook, one of Brown’s men, was sent to Harper's Ferry with directions to remain there and there¬ about, subject to the call of his chief. As we have seen, he spent much of his time in Washington County, selling books.] “As to the attack itself at Harper’s Ferry, the committee find that Brown first appeared in that neighborhood early in July 1859. He came theie under the assumed name of Isaac Smith, attended by two of his sons and a son-in-law. He gave out in the neighborhood that he was a farmer from New York, who desired to rent or purchase land in that vicinity, with a view to agricultural pursuits, and soon afterwards rented a small farm on the Mary¬ land side of the river and some four or five miles from Harper’s Ferry, having on it convenient houses, and began farming operations in a very small way. He had little or no intercourse with the people of the country; and when questioned through the cur¬ iosity of his neighbors, stated further that he was accustomed to mining operations, and expected to find deposits of metal in the adjacent mountains. He lived in an obscure manner and attracted but little attention, and certainly no suspicion whatever as to his ulterior objects. While there, he kept some two or three of his party under assumed names at Chambers burg, Pa., who there received and from time to time forwarded to him, the arms of different kinds of which he was subsequently found in pos¬ session. Cook, one of his men, spoken of above, it appears, had resided at Harper’s Ferry and its neighborhood some twelve months before Brown appeared, pursuing various occupations. He left the Ferry a few days before the attack was made, and joined Brown at his country place. The whole number assembled with Brown at the time of the invasion was 21 men, making with himself in all “On Sunday night, the 16th of October, 1859, between 11 and 12 o’clock Brown, attended by prob¬ ably 18 of his company, crossed the bridge connecting the village of Harper’s Ferry with the Maryland Shore, and, on reaching the Virginia side, proceeded immediately to take possession of the buildings of the armory and arsenal of the United States. These men were armed, each with a Sharp’s rifled carbine, and with revolving pistols. The inhabitants of the village asleep, the presence of the party was not known until they appeared and demanded admittance at the gate leading to the public works, which was 294 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD July 29 last (in 1S99) the bodies of Oliver Brown, W. H. Thompson, Stewart Taylor, W. H. Leeman, Dauphin Thompson, Danger I Tib Newby locked. The watchman in charge states that on his refusal to admit them, the gate was opened by vi¬ olence, the pary entered, made him a prisoner, and established themselves immediately in a strong brick building used as an engine-house, with a room for a watchman adjoining it. They brought with them a wagon, with one horse, containing arms and some prepared torches. “The invasion thus silently commenced, was as silently conducted, none of the inhabitants having been aroused. Armed parties were then stationer at corners of the streets. The next movement was to take possession by detached parties of three or four, of the arsenal of the United States where the public arms were chiefly deposited, a building not far from the engine house; and by another party, of the workshops and other buildings of the armory about half a mile off, on the Shenandoah river, called Hall's Rifle Works. These dispositions made, an armed party was sent into the adjoining country, with a view to the seizure of two or three of the principal inhabitants, with such of their slaves as might be found, and to bringing them to Harper s Ferry, (in the language of Brown) as “hostages;' Cook, who had become well acquainted with the country around Harper’s Ferry, acting as their guide. They seized Col. Lewis W. Washington, with several of his slaves (negro men) at his residence, some five or six miles distant; and in like manner a gen¬ tleman named Allstadt, who lived near the road leading from Col. Washington’s to the Ferry, two 'or three miles distant from the latter, with five or six of his slaves (also negro men). They brought off also from Col. Washington’s such arms as they found in his house, with a wagon and four horses, for subsequent use, as will be shown. This party, with their prisoners, arrived at the Ferry a little before day, and the latter were carried at once to the room adjoining ue engine-house, where they were kept in custody. “Having thus far apparently perfected his plans, a party was sent, taking Washington’s wagon and horses and five or six of the captured slaves, into Maryland, to bring the arms deposited at Brown’s house there to a point nearer the Ferry and more accessible. On their way they seized a gentleman named Byrne, who lived in Maryland, three or tour miles from Harper’s Ferry, and whom they after¬ wards sent to the Ferry and placed among the other prisoners in the engine-house. It whs shown that their design was to take at the same time as many of the slaves of Byrne as could be found, but in this they did not succeed. During Monday, a large portion of the arms, consisting of carbines, pistols in boxes, and pikes, were brought off in the wagon and deposited in a school-house about a mile from the village of Harper’s Ferry, on the Maryland side. “The first alarm that was given, indicating the presence of the hostile part}', appears to have been on the arrival there of the mail train of cars on and Lewis L. Leary, who were killed in the fight and buried near Harper’s Ferry, were disinterred and removed to North I'kba, N. Y. the Baltimore and Ohio railroad on its way from Wheeling to Baltimore, which arrived at Harper's Ferry at its usual hour, about half-past one o’clock in the morning. On the arrival of Brown’s party he had stationed two men well armed, on the bridge with directions to permit no one to pass. This bridge is a viaduct for the railroad to cross the river, having connected with it a bridge for ordinary travel. When the train arrived, it was arrested by this guard, and very soon afterwards a negro named Hayward, a free man who lived at Harper’s Ferry and was in the service of the railroad company as a porter, was shot by this guard and died in a few hours. His statement was that he had been out on the railroad bridge looking after a watchman who was missing, and he had been ordered to halt by some men who were there; and instead of doing that he turned to go back to the office and as he turned they shot him in the back. The alarm, however, did not ex¬ tend to the inhabitants of the town, the scene of operations, so far, being near the river at points occupied by railroad structures and the public works; the principal part of the town being somewhat re¬ mote from that quarter. The train of cars, after being detained some hours, was permitted to pro¬ ceed on its way to Baltimore. “When daylight came, as the inhabitants left their houses, consisting chiefly of workmen and others employed in the public works, on their way to their usual occupations, and unaware of what had occurred during the night, they were seized in the streets by Brown’s men and carried as prisoners to the engine house, until with those previously there, they amounted to some thirty or forty in num¬ ber. Pikes were put in the hands of such of the slaves as they had taken, and they were kept under the eye of their captors as sentinels, near the build¬ ings they occupied. But their movements being conducted at night, it was not until the morning was well advanced that the presence and character cf the party was generally known in the village. “The nearest towns to Harper's Ferry were Charlestown, distant some ten miles, and Martins- burg about 20. As soon as information could reach those points, the citizens assembled, hurriedly en¬ rolled themselves into military bands, and with such arms as they could find, proceeded to the Fer¬ ry. Before their arrival, however, it would seem that some four or five of the marauders, who were stationed at “Hall’s Rifle Works,” were driven out by the citizens of the village, and either killed or captured. In the course of the day an attack was made on the engine and watch-house by those of the armed citizens of the adjoining country who had thus hurriedly arrived, and the prisoners in the watch-house, adjoining the engine-house, were liberated. The attacking parties were fired on by the marauders in the engine house and some weie severely wounded. It should have been stated that during the night Brown selected ten of those whom OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 295 Of John Brown’s family, one son, Jason Brown, is now living, in California. He is lead¬ ing a hermit’s life and is in poor circumstances. For some years, since a new generation has grown up and nfen have forgotten the horrible and diabolical nature of Brown’s scheme, the inciting he considered the principal men of his prisoners, and carried them into the engine-house, where they were detained. The rest thus left in the watch-house were those who were liberated during the attack spoken of. The engine-house is a strong building, and was occupied by Brown with seven or eight of “During the day it appears that all of Brown's party who were not with him in the engine-house, were either killed or captured, except those who were on the Maryland side, engaged in moving the arms, as above stated. Before, however, they were thus captured or destroyed, they shot and killed two persons, citizens of Virginia, in the streets. One of them, a man named Boerley, who lived in the vil¬ lage, was killed by a rifle shot near his own house. He had taken no . part in any of the attacks and does not appear even to have been armed. The other, Mr. George W. Turner, was a gentleman who lived, in the country some ten miles distant, and who, it appears, had gone to the village upon infor¬ mation that his neighbor, Mr. Washington, had been seized in his house and carried off during the night. It would seem that for his safety he had taken a gun offered to him by some one in the village, and was proceeding along the street unattended, with it in his hand, when he also was killed by a rifle ball. “The party immediately under Brown remained barricaded in the engine-house during the whole of that day (Monday). They had confined with them ten most respectable and valuable citizens, kept as stated by Brown in the nature of “hostages” for the security of his own party, he assuming that a regard for the safety of the “hostages,” would de¬ ter their friends and neighbors from attempting their rescue by force. “During the day an irregular fire was kept up against the engine-house by the people who assem¬ bled; it was returned by the party within through loop holes made in the wall, or through the door¬ way partially opened. In this manner two of Brown’s party were killed at the door-way, and in the afternoon a gentleman of the village, Mr. Beck¬ ham, was killed by a shot from the engine house. It was clearly shown that he was entirely unarmed, and had exposed his person only for an instant on the railroad bridge opposite to the house. “To conclude this narrative, it appears that as soon as intelligence could be conveyed to Washing¬ ton of the state of things at Harper’s Perry, the marines on duty at the Navy Yard were ordered to the scene of action, under command of Col. Robert E. Lee of the army. The official report of Colonel Lee, found in the appendix to this report, will show in what manner the affair was ended by the capture of Brown and his remaining party, and the rescue in safety of those he detained as prisoners. Colonel Lee, it will be seen found it necessary to carry the house by storm, the party within refusing to sur¬ render except on terms properly held inadmissabie. In this affair one marine was killed, and another slightly wounded. “Such, it is believed, are succinctly the facts attending this great outrage; and the committee find, in response to so much of the resolutions of the Senate, that the armory and other public works of the United States were in the possession of and under the control of this hostile party more than 30 hours; that besides the resistence offered by them to the military force of Virginia, they resisted by force the lawful authority of the United States sent there to dispossess them, killing one and wounding another of the troops of the United States, and as shown, that before they were thus overpower¬ ed they killed in the streets three of the citizens of Virginia, who were alone and not even in the mili¬ tary array, besides the negro who was killed by them on their first -arrival. It does not appear that any of the public property was stolen or car¬ ried away, although a large sum of money was in the paymaster’s office near the engine-house, and doubtless -would have been seized had they known where it was. There was nothing to protect it but the ordinary safety of an iron door.” [There follows a discussion of the evidence con¬ cerning the connection of the Massachusetts-Kansas Committee with this insurrection. This occupies ten pages of the report. It was concluded that the rifled carbines used had been given to Brown by the Massachusetts-Kansas Society for use in the intes¬ tine strife in Kansas, and were allowed to remain in his possession after the chairman had been warn¬ ed of his purpose to put them to some use not war¬ ranted by those who owned them. It was also shown that Brown collected a large sum of money in New England just before entering upon the Har¬ per’s Ferry enterprise.] The committee concluded that “upon the whole testimony, there can be no doubt that Brown’s plan was to commence a servile war in the borders of Virginia, which he expected to extend, and which he believed his means and resources were sufficient to extend through that State and through the entire South. * * * The point chosen for the attack seems to have been selected from the two-fold in¬ ducement of the security afforded the invaders by a mountain country and the large deposit of arms in the arsenal of the United States there situated. * * * Of the list of ‘insurgents’ given in Col. Lee’s report (14 whites and 5 negroes) Brown,'Ste¬ vens and Coppie of the whites, with Shields, Green and Copeland of the negroes, were subsequently ex¬ ecuted in Virginia after judicial trial; as were also John E. Cook and Albert Hazlett, who at first es¬ caped but were captured in Pennsylvania and de¬ livered up for trial to the authorities of Virginia— making in all seven thus executed. It does not seem to have been very clearly ascertained how many of the party escaped. Brown stated that his 296 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of a servile inramvetfe®, with its attendant horrors of midnight murder!, not respecting age nor sex, such as overtook Hayti, relics of Brown have come into demand. Quantities of pig lead buried on the mountain side above the village of Sandy Hook, near the cave which was one of Brown’s resorts have been divided into small cubes and sold as souvenirs. The scaffold upon which he was hung party consisted of 22 in number. Seven were exe¬ cuted, ten were killed at the Ferry, thus leaving five to be accounted for. Four of these, it is believed, were left on the Maryland side in charge of the arms when Brown crossed the river, who could not afterwards join him, leaving, it would appear, but one, who as it would appear, is the only survivor of the party who accompanied Brown across the bridge and whose escape is not accounted for. * * * “The invasion (to call it so) by Brown and his followers at Harper’s Ferrry * * * was simply the act of lawless ruffians under the sanction of no public or political authority—distinguishable only from ordinary felonies by the ulterior ends in con¬ templation by them, and by the fact that the money to maintain the expedition, and the large armament they brought with them, had been contributed and furnished by citizens of other States of the Union, under circumstances that must continue to jeopar¬ dise the safety and peace of the Southern States and against which Congress has no power to legis¬ late.” The three Senators signing this report were James M. Mason of Virginia, afterwards minister of the Confederate States to England; Jefferson Davis, afterwards President of the Confederate States; and G. N. Fitch of Indiana, afterwards an officer in the Federal army during the Civil War, and in command of the land forces at Fort Pillow. The minority report was signed by Senators Joseph Collamer of Vermont, and J. R. Doolittle of Wisconsin. The main object of their report was to negative the idea that the abolition societies in the North had any knowledge of Brown's plans at Har¬ per’s Ferry. “Although some of the testimony,” the report said, “tends to show that some abolition¬ ists have at times contributed money to what is oc¬ casionally called practical abolition—that is, in aid¬ ing the escape of slaves—and many have placed too implicit confidence in John Brown, yet there is no evidence to show or cause to believe they had any complicity with this conspiracy, or any suspicion of its existence or design, before its explosion.” These Northern Senators in no way sought to palliate the wickedness and atrocity of Brown’s diabolical effort to incite a servile war—It was at a later day that the assassin was elevated into a hero. *The following extracts from the Hagerstown “Herald and Torch Light” give an insight to the state of feeling at the time. THE HARPER’S FERRY INSURRECTION. The recent diabolical and most extraordinary out-break at Harper’s Ferry, by a few misguided, was takva down, and the lumber used for building a porch to a small house near the spot. This lum¬ ber was afterwards purchased by a speculator, manufactured into souvenirs, and sold to admirers of the old fanatic.* I will close this chapter which ends with tlig la.-i generation, with a hasty narration of minor events which should not go unrecorded. Towards fanatical abolitionists from the North and elsewhere, has justly excited this community to a degree hith¬ erto unknown. So hideous—so devilish—so mon¬ strously wicked—and yet so really absurd did the whole story seem to our people, even when the truth was told, that it was not believed here until the capture of the insurgents was fully accomplish¬ ed, and citizens of this place had gone to the scene of disturbance and returned with a full detail of the astounding reality. The people of our quiet town could hardly realize the fact that a plot of such villainy could have been concocting almost in their midst, without even a suspicion of its existence; and that it should have been attempted, if at all, at the place it was. That a few phrenzied, malig¬ nant out-laws, roused by no provocation, and num¬ bering in all, originally, only about twenty-two men, or a little upwards, should attempt an enterprise of such fearful magnitude, with all its consequences vividly painted to their imagination, in case of a failure—and what else could they hope for—is to us most wonderful; yet it shows to what fearful risks men may be hurried by the fell spirit of an intense fanaticism. These scoundrels, it seems, rented, some months ago, an old delapidated house and worn-out farm belonging to the late Dr. Kennedy, of Sharpsburg, and situated about mid-way between the Antietam Iron Works and Harper’s Ferry, in an obscure part of the County known as Sample s Manor. Here these cut-throats had their rendezvous for many months, pretending to be seeking for ores and minerals in the adjacent mountains, and having various tools and implements of their ostensible profession in their possession, and to be seen by any body. These rascals were constantly prowling about through the County around, making their observa¬ tions, and doubtless tampering with our slaves, some of them pretending to be book agents, engaged in procuring subscriptions to works of great inter¬ est and value; and yet so adroit were they in their nefarious scheme, that at no time, we believe, was suspicion cast upon their movements. They were seen at various times conveying to this house loads of boxes, in wagons, but still no wrong was suspect¬ ed; and to a teamster, who hauled a heavy load of those boxes from Chambersburg, Pa., to their house already spoken of, they said they meant to establish a large hardware store, by which they expected to make large gains. Their leader, Brown, and a few others of the gang were seen here, in Hagerstown, frequently during the last summer; and the former actually boarded at one of our respectable hotels, without creating suspicion or even scarcely exciting an enquiry as to their business. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 299 the Fitter part of 18.39 tliere was an earnest move¬ ment to put the Canal in the hands of the holder of the bonds of 1844, and a bill to accomplish it passed the Senate, but failed in the House. The same effort was made several times, and came up in the Constitutional Convention of 1867, but it was defeated mainly by the views of Mr. Richard FI. Alveyyand so determined -was he and those who agreed with him that the State should not lose its control over this important work, that a clause was put into the Constitution, prohibiting its sale except by the concurrent action of two successive Legislatures. The importance of the canal to Washington County was greatly diminished by the reopening of the Franklin railroad. That portion between The sudden appearance of these bloody marau¬ ders in the Ferry, on the night of Sunday the 16th, and the following morning, was well calculated to create alarm among the good people of that town. To find their town in the possession of a lawless band, and their lives at the mercy of a servile revolt, were sufficient in themselves to spread dismay and terror; but to witness their unoffending friends and fellow-citizens shot down when peacefully walking along the public thoroughfares of the town, any one of whose lives was worth more than ten thousand such heartless abolitionists, was indeed enough to strike a panic to the heart of every one of that seemingly devoted town. But the hour of retribution was close at hand! The summons sent upon the lightning’s wing was soon obeyed by the citizen soldiery of the neigh¬ boring towns and cities; and being soon re-enforced by a company of United States’ Marines, the insur¬ gents were quickly made to feel their impotency, and to pay with their lives the enormity of their guilt. And may such be the end of every like at¬ tempt. upon the peace, order and government of the country. The few who escaped instant death, are now confined in the Jail at Charlestown, awaiting, it is true, a little more tardy yet a more ignoble death. Nothing we believe has yet transpired to show how far the slave population throughout this part of the country was affected by these prowling vag¬ abonds; but it is hoped and believed that it has had little or no extent. The Legislatures both of Vir¬ ginia and Maryland will be in session within the next three months, and we have no doubt that such means will be adopted as to prevent, as far as prac¬ ticable, any such another foolhardy enterprise. In the mean time let the South be wide awake to de¬ tect any similar plot that may, by possibility, be hatching here or elsewhere. All these miserable men were either killed or captured on the spot of their revolt, except Cook.—Herald and Torch, Oct. 25, 1859. POLITICS OF HARPER’S FERRY INSURGENTS! We sincerely advocate a union of the whole South on every question affecting the civil and polit¬ ical rights of her people, and are ready, as are all our American and Whig friends, to stand by the in¬ stitutions which have been transmitted to us by Washington, Jefferson, Madison and the other pa¬ triots of the Revolution until the last armed foe to them expires. But we cannot for a single moment recognise the claims which modern Democracy, with it Douglas Squatter Sovereignty doctrine predominat¬ ing in all Free States, impudently sets up to the 1111-1 peculiar championship of those institutions, and be¬ cause our party is unwilling to do this, unwilling to swallow down that miserable deception, they are in effect charged with entertaining feelings in com¬ mon with those of the Harper’s Ferry fanatics. We not only hurl back into the teeth of these libellars this monstrous slander, but carry the war into Africa, by charging that Capt. Cook and four of his confed¬ erates were Democrats. Upon a regular roll of these men found in their den, they are thus classified. Democrats. Republicans. John Kagi 1111-1 Railf, Moffit - Tidd, Cook 111 Whipple, Parsons -Robertson, - Leman 1111-111 Brown, - In corroboration of the above, we are authorized to state that whilst Cook was canvassing this Coun¬ ty for subscribers to the Life of Washington, he stopped at the house of one of our most respectable farmers, living less than five miles from this town, and repeatedly declared himself to be a member of the Democratic party! ! The gentlemen told us that he would certify to the fact if necessary.— But this is not all. When old Brown’s house was searched some days after the outbreak there were found by a highly respectable gentleman of Boons- boro’, "two newspapers, one of which was the New York Tribune, and the other, oh! tell it not in Gath nor .publish it in the streets of Askalon, the Hagers¬ town Mail! ! Yes, in this old fanatics abode, these lovely prints were found in close proximity, and both well worn from repeated handling and perusal. Brown no doubt imbibed from one of these sheets the mistaken notion that one half of the whites in Maryland and Virginia were ready to join the insur¬ rectionists the moment they committed the overt act, and this accounts for the astounding delusion under which he labored.—Herald and Torch Light, Nov. 2, 1859. THE DAY OF EXECUTION. The second of December has been set apart by the Virginia authorities for the execution of John Brown. It was at first said that all the insurgents would be hung together on the 16th inst., but it is now thought that no suspension of the death-warrant, beyond the time limited therein will be accorded to Brown, so that he will probably pay the penalty of his remarkable crime on Friday next. The exe¬ cution will be public, and will no doubt draw to¬ gether an immense number of people from the ad¬ jacent counties in Virginia and Maryland, although an effort has been made to discourage or prevent a large assemblage of persons on the occasion. But 300 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Chambersburg and Greencastle was opened Eeb. 5, 1800, and the remainder, to Hagerstown, on the 29tli of the same month. The service consisted of one mixed train each way daily. In August, a second train was put on, and this was regarded as a splendid passenger service. It was now possi¬ ble it was boasted, for a person “to spend the day in Chambersburg with a friend, returning the same day refreshed and ready for the business of the next day.” Great quantities of flour awaited the opening of the road, and in a few days five thousand barrels, which would naturally have gone to Georgetown or Baltimore, were carried off from Hagerstown to Philadelphia. This gave the people of Baltimore great concern and immediate steps were taken to regain the important trade of Hag¬ erstown by extending the Western Maryland rail¬ road. In July, 1861, the City Council of Balti¬ more passed an ordinance endorsing a half-million of Western Maryland bonds. But the completion of the Western Maryland like the construction .of the Washington County road, was delayed several years by the war. The anticipations of a new war, which now begun to fill the minds of people, did not cause them to forget the old. In 1860, the Legislature presented a beautiful rifle io John Harrigan of Wi biamsport, an aged soldier of the war of 1812 who had been severely wounded at the bloody bat¬ tle of Bridgewater, on the Canadian frontier, and had distinguished himself for bravery. The Legislature at the same session laid out the Ring- gold, or fourteenth election district and at the same time enacted the law which empowered the County Commissioners to create and change election dis¬ tricts. Indian Spring district was the first laid out by the County Commissioners, and this was done in 1860, directly after the passage of the law. The Legislature, in 1859, also enacted the Coudy school law which abolished the payment of one dollar as a quarterly tuition fee, and made absolutely free schools for the first time. This caused an additional taxation of seven cents on the hundred dollars. Added to the County tax there was a state taxation of ten cents, making in 1860 a total taxation of fifty-three cents on a hundred dollars, the highest rate for many years and one which caused deep complaint. In January, 1861, it was discovered that the amount levied to make good the deficiency caused by the remission of the tuition fee was insufficient, and that there was an annual deficit of $5,200 and so a rapidly accum¬ ulating debt. The schools were closed on the first of March 1861, and the Legislature that 3 r ear, in view of the heavy taxation caused by the war, restored the “pay feature” of the school law. At that time, in 1861, there were a hundred and twenty-three schools in the County kept open nine months. The average salary of the teachers was whether the number be large or small, who may witness this old man’s death-throes on the gibbet, the interest and excitement occasioned thereby, will not be confined to them, nor to a limited circle of society, as in the case of an ordinary malefactor. John Brown has committed an offence, not alone against the laws of Virginia, but against the peace and harmony of the Union; he is not alone a mur¬ derer but a seditionist, and his death for such an offence will variously exercise the hearts of mil¬ lions of people far away from Charlestown, and be an event in the history of this country to be referred to in after time as a warning to others, who, urged on by a wild fanaticism as he was, would rise in opposition to the settled institutions of that country. The tone of the Northern Press is not generally as sound on the Harper’s Ferry outbreak as it should be, and hence we infer that there will be a vast deal more sympathy expended over the fate of Brown than he deserves_ or a proper sense of jus¬ tice and a genuine love of country would justify. While few of the conservative Journals North pre¬ tend to excuse Brown’s predatory incursion for the liberation of the slaves of Virginia, they nearly all, down even to Mason and Dixon’s line, take great pleasure in ridiculing the fears of the people of Charlestown and vicinity, and sneering at the ex¬ traordinary measures which have been adopted bv the authorities to guard the prisoners, and protect their homes from the incendiary's torch. “Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh.” These papers appropriate a few lines of their space to a formal and cold condemnation of Brown’s raid, and then follow it with a half column of ill-natured jests and bitter sarcasms upon the state of alarm whicn exists among a people who have just cause for it, in whose midst a train has been laid which may yet involve them in all the horrors of a real servile in¬ surrection, and whose property is nightly being burnt as a sequence of the enormous crime which has been committed by wicked fanatics of the North, and the unnatural excitement resulting therefrom. Such newspaper tirades are put forth near the bor¬ ders of the Slave States, and are anything else than a mark of good neighborhood between people who ought to be bound together by the strongest ties of friendship and interest. If the shoe fits any of our near Pennsylvania cotemporaries they are welcome to wear it.—Herald of Freedom and Torch Light, Nov. 30, 1859. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 301 $§49. The Hagerstown Charity School, an insti¬ tution begun in 1815, which has done great good, received substantial help at this time. In July* 1860, Victor Thomson, a druggist of Hagerstown died, leaving an estate of sixty thousand dollars. After providing for his two sis¬ ters, he devised $20,000 to the four Boards of the Presbyterian Church, $5,000 for improving the church in Hagerstown, $2,000 to the Mayor and Council of the town to be invested, the interest to buy fuel for the poor people of Hagerstown, $500 to buy the Miller spring for the public use and enjoyment, and $1000 for the Charity School. The Miller spring is on North Potomac street in the rear of Blew & Lucas’ drug store, approached from the street by an arch. The water of this spring used to be considered especially pure and good, and many people used it for drinking, but the owner refused to sell it for $500. The Hag¬ erstown Charity School was established by Miss Isabella Neill in 1815. The first officers were: President, Susan Hughes; Treasurer, Isabella Neill; Secretary, Rebecca. Fitzhugh; Managers, Betsy Harry, M. Humrichouse, Maria Sprigg, Jane Milligan, Eliza Schnebly and Jane Herbert. In 1818 it was incorporated with Rev. J. C. Clay, John Kennedy and Alex. Neill as trustees. It re¬ ceived a number of small legacies the interest of which supported it. In 1842, Martin Hammond left it $1,100 which was used for erecting the building at the corner of East Washington and Locust streets. It was formerly the custom to preach a sermon in each church in the town in behalf of the charity. Now, with public schools free to all, the charity school is doing an excell¬ ent work in instructing poor children in elemen¬ tary knowledge and in sewing, but before the days of free schools, the good accomplished was incal¬ culable. Hundreds of girls were taught who would otherwise never have learned to read and write. The Rev. Samuel H. Giesy, for a long time the pastor of Zion Reformed Church in Hagers¬ town, where he was greatly beloved, preached his farewell sermon in October, 1860, and went to Philadelphia. Subsequently he became a clergy¬ man of the Episcopal Church, and when he died, about 1885, he was Rector of Epiphany Church, Washington, D. C. The lot on North Potomac street at the corner of Church, opposite the Re¬ formed Church was given to the church by General Daniel Heister for a burying ground, upon condi¬ tion that it should be kept fenced and in good order. A vault was constructed in it. and in that vault General Heister and Rosannah his wife were buried, but as the church had an abundance of ground surrounding it, this lot was abandoned, in order to avoid the expense of maintaining it, and it reverted to Henry Wingert the adopted son of General Heister to whom much of his proper!}'’ was devised. Mr. Wingert generously paid $500 to the church upon its relinquishing of the lot. In November, 1860, the remains of General Heis¬ ter and his wife were removed to the present grave yard adjoining the.chruch. CHAPTER XX ® N THE progress of these chronicles, I have JjJ[ now reached a period in which the events *■ are fresh in the memory of a large por¬ tion of the population of the County. The excitements of the war were more lively and the feelings of animosity were necessa¬ rily much more bitter here than elsewhere. This County was a battle field. It was overrun by both armies. Vast quantities of property were destroyed. The population were divided in senti¬ ment, and each portion ascribed to the other the losses and indignities they suffered. It was liter¬ ally a fratricidal strife and a fratricidal strife is always the most embittered. It seemed that the words of the Prophet had been fulfilled. No trust could be placed in a friend, no confidence in a guide and it was well for a man to keep the doors of his mouth from her that lay on his bosom, for the son rose against the father, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a man’s enemies were often the men of his own house. There was strife and division within the family circle. In some instances the father would sympathize with one side, the mother with the other. Some of the sons would join the Northern army and some the Southern or it might .be that the father would be arrayed against his sons and not unfrequently would brothers be brought into direct conflict in opposing forces. With those far removed from the scene of the strife the feeling of resentment was more of a sentimental nature, but here upon the stage, added to this was direct personal hatred. Those who sympathized with the Union suffered loss during the Southern occupancy and inconvenience all the time and they felt that their nearest neighbors might be aiding and abetting those who were de¬ spoiling them. Those who sympathized with the South, if they gave any license to their tongues were oppressed and • insulted and some of them taken from their homes and families to be impris¬ oned in Northern forts. These were likewise deep¬ ly incensed with those of their neighbors who re¬ joiced in their misfortunes. In the North people were growing rich on tlie war, patriotism was profitable, but in Washington County the country was overrun by armies and farmers frequently saw the results of a year’s hard labor swept away or trod under foot in an hour. Crops would be sowed, the ground ploughed with hired horses and the work done at enormous ex¬ pense and as the crops would be white for the harvest an army would encamp in the field. Or at a critical time every horse from a farm would be carried off leaving the farmer paralyzed. Miles of fencing which had cost' almost as much as the land it enclosed was swept away and burnt up for firewood in a day. For this condition each side considered the friends of the other side re¬ sponsible. The Union man did not doubt that the se¬ cessionists, by attempting to break up the Union and by firing on the flag, were responsible for the war. The Secessionist did not doubt that the Southern States had a constitutional right to ter¬ minate a compact with those who had violated its terms and that the North, by invading the South was alone responsible for the conflict. Then, too, the successive occupancy of the County by the troops of the two sides gave rise to much feeling. 304 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD If, during file occupation of the Northern army the Union man under that protection, treated his Secession neighbor with arrogance, it might be expected that the latter would take his revenge when the Northern army had given place to the Southern. This, then was the feeling which prevailed during the progress of the war. It is interesting to trace the local events which gradually led up to and developed into that local condition. The Presidential campaign which resulted in the election of Mr. Lincoln was not as excited as many which had preceded it. The Hagerstown Mail favored the election of Breckenridge. Doug¬ las and that ticket got only enough votes to give the County to Bell and Everett by a small plural¬ ity. The Herald and Torchlight favored the lat¬ ter candidates, known here as “the Constitutional Union ticket.” Lincoln had no friends and no support except a few scattering voters who were never heard from and except from the expressions of apprehension that his election would lead to war, no one would have known he was a candidate. The venerable Francis Thomas who had be¬ gun his separation from the Democratic party by running as an independent candidate for Congress, came to Hagerstown to make a speech in favor of Douglas. He made a long and eloquent address in the Court House to an overflowing audience, but those who composed his audience were the Bell and Everett people and in point of fact Governor Thomas’ speech was more in favor of that ticket than of Douglas whom he professed to support. J. Dixon Roman, a life long Whig, of course support¬ ed the Bell ticket. He afterwards became a strong Southern sympathizer but during the campaign he was pronounced in his condemnation of the threatened Secession. In a speech in the Public Square, he went so far as to say that should Bell be defeated he would prefer Lincoln to Brecken¬ ridge. But in this he did not represent his party. All the people of the County looked forward to the threatened, election of Lincoln as a national calamity. At the election the result in Washington Coun¬ ty was similar to that in a majority of the States—« the division of the Democratic vote lost the election to that party. The vote for Bell was 2,5G7, for Breckenridge 2,475, for Douglas 283, for Lincoln 05. Whilst Bell had a plurality, the combined vote of Breckenridge and Douglas, the two Dem¬ ocratic. candidates was greater than the combined vote of Bell and Lincoln. The vote for Lincoln did not exceed that which a womans rights candi¬ date might have received. In the Sharpsburg, Sandy Hook and Indian Springs districts he re¬ ceived but a single vote in each; in Clearspring, Hancock, Pleasant Valley, Funkstown and Conoco- cheague, but two votes each; in Leitersburg and Tilghmanton five votes each; in Williamsport fif¬ teen, Hagerstown twelve, Boonsboro fourteen, Cavetown thirteen, Ringgold eighteen. The total number of votes cast was 5,427. But the vote for Breckenridge did not indicate that half the people of the County were in favor of secession in case of his defeat. The news of secession in the far South which quickly followed upon the news that Lincoln was elected, was received with genuine concern and -alarm by a great majority of our people. It is not likely that a majority would have denied the right of the South to secede but a very great majority denied the wisdom and necessity of such a decided step. Indeed men’s minds wen- strangely unset¬ tled and it was a long time before they finally settled down to conviction. Some of the strong¬ est and most uncompromising union men in the county contemplated secession and a readjustment of the union as being necessary under certain con¬ ditions and the idea of coercion or using force to compel the South to remain in the Union did not immediately take hold of the minds of people. The condition of affairs became rapidly more threatening and as the news of secession move¬ ments came, a series of union meetings began m the different election districts of the County. The first one was held in Hancock on the 27th of No¬ vember 1860. Then, on January 12th followed one in Iioonsborough. At this meeting, Andrew K. Syester made an earnest speech in which he set forth in detail the wrongs and indignities which the South had received at the hands of flic North, but he did not consider secession the best remedy for those wrongs. Resolutions were adopted favoring the settlement of the difficulties between the free and the slave States by the pass¬ age of the ('rittenden resolutions in the United States Senate. This was in feet the prevailing sentiment in the County at the time and every¬ where petitions to Congress to adopt those resolu¬ tions were eirerdated for signatures. On the 15th of January there was an im¬ mense meeting of citizens in the Court House. They assembled regardless of party and it was at OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 305 this meeting that the first sign was made of that violent division of sentiment which afterwards drifted into rancorous hate. The gathering was made up of people from all the districts of the Count}'. A short time before the hour appointed the crowd rushed into the hall and there was great excitement over the organization. The difficulty was finally adjusted by having two sets of officers, two Presidents, Yice-Presidents and Secretaries. The Presidents were Charles Magill and John Mc¬ Kee. Upon motion of William T. Hamilton a committee of twenty was appointed to report res¬ olutions. At the head of this committee was Rich¬ ard H. Alvey and associated with him were some of the leading men of the County—William T. Hamilton, George Schley, Daniel Weisel, George Preaner, William Motter, Alexander Neill, James Wason, Isaac Nesbitt and Elias Davis. During the prolonged absence of the com¬ mittee speeches were made by J. Dixon Roman, Louis P. Piery, James II. Grove and others. Mr. Roman approved the course of Governor Hicks and spoke earnestly in favor of the preservation of the Union. It was almost night before the commit¬ tee returned and before that time, as the country members desired to return to their homes, it was decided that the resolutions should be published but that no action should be taken upon them until the following Saturday when the meeting should reconvene. The resolutions undoubtedly gave ex¬ pression to the predominating sentiment of the people of the County at that time. They dwelt upon the wrongs which had been inflicted upon the Southern States by the North. These wrongs de¬ manded redress but that redress could and should be found within the Union and under the consti¬ tution. The method of adjusting the difficulties, it was thought, was the Crittenden resolutions. That the condition of the country was perilous and the present crisis had been precipitated by a persistent and dogmatic course of fanaticism in the Northern States of the Union. The Union was only to be preserved by a policy of concession and peace and that any resort to force would be the certain means of engendering lasting hostility. The Governor was requested to recommend the people to assemble upon a day designated at their voting places that their sense upon the calling a convention be taken. The resolutions so far were the unanimous report of the committee. But Mr. Alvey on behalf of himself and a minority of the committee reported an additional resolution favor¬ ing the call of a convention and setting forth at length and with marked ability the right of States to secede and the doctrine that the General Gov¬ ernment had no right to employ force against a State so seceding.* This resolution of Mr. Alvey because of the vigor of its language, expressing as it did the views of the majority of the people of Maryland, attracted the attention of the State to the author then a man of 35 years of age who had been in Washington County about 11 years and was a leader of the Bar. The resolution was as follows: “At the time of the adoption of the present Constitution of the United States, the sev¬ eral States adopting the same were free and in¬ dependent republics; and that the constitution be¬ ing adopted and the Union of the States formed by the separate assent of the States respectively, as expressed through and by the several legisla¬ tures or conventions held in the several States for that purpose, such States whenever they think themselves aggrieved and oppressed, and that the ends and purposes of their Federal Association have been defeated, and their rights and liberties endangerd and therefore withdraw from the Union, cannot consistently with freedom and the nature of the republican institutions guaranteed to each be forced to remain in and maintain the Union; and that the employment of force by the General Government against any seceding State from said Union would be in violation of the true prin¬ ciples of the Union and of the right of the States; that it would be a radical and despotic perversion of the principles and objects of the Union, as well as of the rights of the States that any such resort to force by the general government should be made; that it is right and expedient that the peo¬ ple of the State should consult and determine in regard to the crisis impending over them, and as to the position and welfare of the State, and to that end a convention of the people should be call¬ ed by the sanction of law.” Five months after this resolution was offered the author of it was in a federal prison. The following Saturday the Court House was again filled with people to vote on the resolutions. It soon became apparent that there could be no harmony between the friends of the North and those of the South, between secessionists and Union men. A motion was made to adjourn to the Public Square. The chairman declared the motion lost, whereupon the strong Union men withdrew and 306 HISTOEY AND BIOGEAPHICAL EECOKD organized an outdoor meeting in the Square amidst the falling snow. Of this meeting Daniel Startz- man Sr., was the chairman. Daniel Wcisei for the committee reported a series of resolutions, moderate in tone, but firmly in favor of the Union. “As much as we deeply regret the election of men to the highest offices of the Kepublic, nominated and sustained by a section, yet we do not regard their election as a cause for revolution; that their election should have been resisted at the ballot- box, in the Union, by the united votes of those who were opposed to them, and failing in their duty, it does not now become us to revolutionize or overturn the government because of their elec¬ tion, but it is the duty of all good citizens to submit to the Constitutional action of the people, and to judge of the incoming administration by its acts and measures, holding ourselves ready to resist by all Constitutional means any aggressions upon the rights of any portion of the country; and never except when grievances become intolerable, and the necessity becorns absolute to resort to rev¬ olutionary action for relief or change.” Whilst the general government cannot declare war against a State, still it has the power to enforce the due execution of the laws of the United States therein against all such as violate them and are found in open resistence to their authority. That all ]®ws passed by any States in contravention of the constitution and laws of the United States called personal liberty bills and such like, should be repealed. That in any future contingency, Mary¬ land should not consent to be a border state, but her true policy is to look to such a position in any new Confederacy as will best comport with her safety, peace and prosperity; and that in the opin¬ ion of the meeting a central confederacy presents the best guaranties for her future destiny, if un¬ happily the Union should be dissolved. The elec¬ tion of President and Vice-President by the dis¬ trict system was advocated as a safeguard against the election of sectional candidates. [Speeches were made by Daniel Weiscl, Elias Davis, S. 31. Fiery, Lewis P. Fiery and others. This expression of views by the most pronounced and uncompromising: Union men of the County, this recognition of the right of resistance by force to the General Government when all constitutional methods of redress had failed and this contempla¬ tion of a new confederacy would have been regard¬ ed as rank treason by these same men a few months later and shows the rapid progress of events and the divergence in sentiment between the people of the County. The resolutions prepared by Mr. ,\l\oy of those who remained in the Court House, most of whom became later on, recognized seces¬ sionists or sympathizers with the seceded States, were equally moderate in tone but favored a con¬ vention, did not deny the right of a State to secede and declared that the threatened use of force against a State was unjust and despotic and should be resisted. This meeting was the begin¬ ning of the divergence of sentiment. Following the County meeting, there was a series of Union meetings in all the districts of the County, most of them commended Gov. Hicks for refusing to call the Legislature together and all of them fa¬ vored the adoption of the Crittenden resolutions as the best mode of meeting the crisis. “It was oar duty as Southern men,” said the Herald and Torch Light, “to hold back secession until the sober second thought of the North can be put into oper¬ ation for the preservation of the Union.” In none of the meetings were the grievances of the South, or the aggressions of the North de¬ nied, and none failed to deplore the election of Lincoln. No one had a kind or tolerant word for the President-elect, none seemed willing to adopt the advice of the County meeting and judge him by his conduct after he should have assumed his offee. He was severely criticised by the Herald and Torch Light for what it called his frivolous speeches at the various towns where he stopped as he journeyed to Washington. Sentiment rapid¬ ly took shape during the spring of 1S61 and the people arrayed themselves into parties. The Union party now not only denied the right of the States to secede but claimed the right and the duty of the General Government to employ force to preserve the Union. The men who endeavored most to arouse this sentiment were J. D. Bennett, S. M. Fiery and Lewis P. Fiery who made a great number of speeches at the various Union district meetings. Opposed to this Union party was the party which called itself the party for the “Con¬ stitution and Equality.” Afterwards it became known as the “Peace" party. However the people who composed this party might have desired to disguise their real sentiments under misleading names, it was generally understood that they were in principle secessionists. They did not profess to believe, and many of them in all likelihood did not believe in the wisdom of secession, but they contended stoutly for the constitutional right of OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 307 secession and denied as a necessary sequence to this doctrine that the Federal Government had the right to make war upon States for exercising their constitutional privileges. Many of the leading men of the County belonged to this party. Among them were Col. George Schley, a lifelong Whig, Judge John Thompson Mason, William T. Hamil¬ ton, Richard Id. Alvey, Andrew Iv. Syester and George Freaner. The latter had obtained a high position byjiis brilliant course in the Legislature of 18G0. Soon after the beginning of the war he joined the Southern army and served with the rank of major successively upon the staffs of Gen¬ erals J. E. B. Stuart, Fitzhugh Lee and Wade Hampton. The ranks of the Peace party were further reinforced by J. Dixon Roman for many years one of the most influential men in the Coun¬ ty. He and others who had started out with the Union party found that they could not keep pace with it. The mouthpiece of the Union party was the Herald and Torchlight under the editorship of John Sneary and owned by him and Thomas E. Mittag. Like the citizens of the County generally the Torchlight was in some doubt at first as to what course to pursue, but it soon struck the key¬ note and became aggressively and violently oppos¬ ed to secession and relentless towards those people of Washington County who sympathized with the “hellish rebellion” as it never failed to character¬ ize it. Once, when the County was first invaded by Northern troops, the old pride of States' rights asserted itself, but the wavering was but for a day. The organ of the Peace party was the Hag¬ erstown Mail, edited by Daniel Dechert, a native of Pennsylvania. This paper on its side was as violent as the Herald and Torchlight or as it dared to be, until Dechert was arrested and kept for six weeks in prison. After that the tone of the paper was greatly modified, but not sufficiently so to prevent its being destroyed by an infuriated mob as we shall see later. The first occasion for the two parties to meas¬ ure their strength was in the municipal election of Hagerstown in April 1861. The Union candi¬ dates for the Council, Lewis Wilhide, G. H. L. Crissinger, C. H. Henson, Richard Sheckles and E. W. Funk were elected by an average majority of 48 in a total vote of 588 over W. E. Doyle, Upton Rouskulp, Peter Middlekauff, Charles Frid- inger and M. M. Gruber. The latter set of can¬ didates called themselves the Constitution and Equality ticket, but their opponents called them secedcrs. Jn obedience to the recommendation of the President the 4th day of January 1861 was observed as a day of humiliation and prayer. In Hagerstown all business was abandoned and the quiet of the Sabbath prevailed. Union services were held and the principal churches were scarcely large enough to contain the people who wished to take part in them. After the beginning of April events began to crowd upon each other. First came the news of the attack on Fort Sumter and the President’s call for troops to repossess the Fort. Then the Baltimore riot and the proclamation of Governor Hicks promising that no troops should be sent from Maryland unless to defend the National Capital, The invasion of Maryland by troops from the North without the consent of the State Govern¬ ment, evidently shook the loyalty of some of the stoutest Union people of Washington County. But they quickly recovered. On Friday the 19th of April a little body of fifty regular troops under the command of Lieutenant'Jones arrived in Ha¬ gerstown. The men were weary and covered with mud and the stains of travel. This was the gar¬ rison of Harper’s Ferry which had destroyed gov¬ ernment property there and retired upon the threatened advance of Virginia troops who were now in the field. The command arrived in Ha¬ gerstown after the departure of the last train for Chambersburg and they therefore went to that town in carriages and wagons which they hired in Hagerstown. This was the first appearance of troops in Hagerstown since the beginning of the troubles. During April a large stream of travel flowed through Hagerstown for the first time since the old staging days. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad from Washington through Baltimore was obstructed and since the 19th of April riot in that city Northern people had no desire to enter its limits and so for some time the route from Washington to the North was by rail to Frederick, thencfe to Hagerstown by stage and thence to Harrisburg by the Cumberland Valley road. The cars of that road were well filled. Among the passengers on the 20th of April were the Russian minister and Caleb Cushing. During the spring two elections were held. There was a vacancy in the House of Delegates for Washington County and a vacancy in Congress for this district. Political meetings were held throughout the district. The resolutions of the 308 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Union party were aggressive and warlike whilst the Pune party was quiet and made but little demonstration. The Union County convention was hel4 April 23 in Junior Hall* Daniel Weisel Was chairman. Delegates were appointed to at¬ tend the Union State convention in Baltimore and Lewis P. Fiery was nominated for the Legis¬ lature. Just three days before the election An¬ drew Iv. Syester was informally nominated by the opposition, but he declined to run, giving the short¬ ness of the time as his reason, a reason which the war party disdainfully refused to credit, assigning as the cause the knowledge of the certain and in¬ glorious defeat which awaited him. Fiery there¬ fore had no opposition, but a large number of voters came to the polls to vote for him. Of the 5.500 voters of the County, who had voted at the Presidential election the previous year, 3,952 voted for Fiery. The election for Congressman in June Whs equally one-sided. Frank Thomas was nom¬ inated by the Union party. A call was made for a peace convention and one sparsely attended was held in Frederick. Col. George Schley was nominated but he declined. The Peace party therefore having no candidate were advised by their newspapers and leading men to refrain from voting. Governor Thomas came to Hagerstown before the election and spoke in the Public Square for two hours to an audience wild with enthusiasm. At the election Thomas received 3,931 votes in Washington County, almost the same number that Fiery had received two months before. There were 141 scattering votes cast. In the district, the largest number of votes ever given for a can¬ didate, was 17,G67. Thomas’ total vote was 10,- 020 showing that in other counties the Union feeling was not as strong as in Washington County. By this time the sentiment of the County had taken definite shape and the enthusiasm of the Union people knew no bounds. The secessionists had not yet been intimidated and they made no secret of their sentiments of hostility to the Federal Government or of their sympathy for the Southern cause. And it was not long before the latter feel¬ ing of antagonism was at flood tide. In Clear¬ spring where Lincoln had received but two votes, the feeling of loyalty to the Government went into enthusiasm. Flags floated oyer every house in the town but one and women wore aprons of the National colors—Mbs studded with stars and Skirts with the stripes. Clearspring was after¬ wards digtlnguishcd for having furnished more soldiers in proportion to population than any other town in the State. Before the beginning of May, armies were on both borders of Washington County. In Cham- bersbu rg 4,000 Federal troops were encamped and Harper's Ferry was garrisoned by the same num¬ ber of Virginians under Gen. Kenton Harper of Staunton. It was a strange circumstance that on Sundays many Southern sympathizers of Ha¬ gerstown made the journey to Harper’s Ferry to see their Southern friends, whilst Union people went to Chambersburg to view the army there—the largest army which had ever approached our bor¬ ders or had ever been seen by any of our people except those 1 who had gone with Scott or Taylor to Mexico and those old men whose recollection could go back nearly half a century to the war of 1812. It was only a short time, however, that the people of Hagerstown were compelled to travel two and twenty miles to satisfy tlieir curiosity with the sight of an army. The spectacle of even larger bodies than those at Chambersburg and Harper’s Ferry grew very familiar. Indeed in a very few days there were grave fears that a con¬ flict would take place in the County. Confederates from Harper’s Ferry came freely over to the Maryland side of the Potomac and by their pres¬ ence obstructed canal navigation. Great quanti¬ ties of flour which would have gone to George¬ town were now hauled to Hagerstown and sent North by rail. Tidings reached the Confederates at Harper's Ferry of a fight between Virginia and Federal troops at Sheplrerdstown and three regiments made a forced march to the latter place through a.terrific hail stem only to find that no Federal troops had been seen in the vicinity. Confederate scouts then appeared in Hagerstown to learn the exact situation of the Federal Army. In the meantime the people of Washington County were forming themselves into military companies. Captain Roger E. Cook had formed til# ‘hSharps- burg Rifles,” Captain Kennedy the Union Guards, of Williamsport, and the “Home Guards” were organized in Hagerstown, and a company after tins same name in Clearspring. In a short time the Union Guards offered themselves to the Gov¬ ernment and were mustered into service. While this wan going on a number of young men from Washington County joined the Confederates at Harper's Ferry and at other points. Among them were three who afterwards became distinguished— Major George Freaner who has been already men- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. tioned, Janies Breathed the son of John W. Breath¬ ed, who then lived at the College of St. Janies, who became one of the most brilliant and dashing ar¬ tillery officers in the war, and Henry Kyd Douglas, the son of the Rev. Robert Douglas, who distin¬ guished himself as a member of the staff of Stone¬ wall Jackson. During the latter part of May Lire armies became active. On Sunday evening the 20th, 1000 Virginians encamped on the Potomac opposite Williamsnort. That town was occupied by the Union Guards which kept sentinels at Lem- en’s Perry to prevent the passage of provisions or information to the Southern troops. On the first of June some of the Confederate soldiers Look the Perry boat and were fired upon by the Union Guards. The fire was returned and a brisk fusil¬ lade ensued but as both parties were under cover no damage was done. The news of the affair spread by those who had only heard the sound of the guns and exaggerated accordingly, quickly brought reinforcements to the Williamsport com¬ panies. Captain Cook brought his company from Sharpsburg, the Home Guards of Clearspring came and a body of twenty young men of Hagers¬ town hastened to the scene of action, but the next day the Confederates departed for Martinsburg. At Williamsport were now massed a hundred boats loaded with coal which could not pass Harpers Perry. While these movements were going on in Washington County, heavy bodies of troops were centering in Chambersburg, amounting in a short. time to nearly twenty thousand men. It was an¬ nounced that these would soon be in Hagerstown en route to carry out Gen. Scott's plan of cam¬ paign, which it was said, was to occupy Harper’s Perry, marching thence to Richmond and Norfolk, which cities he designed to occupy before the fourth of July. The first tragedy growing out of the sectional strife in the County occurred in Williamsport on the 5th of June. That day young De Witt Clin¬ ton Rentch was mobbed and killed. Young Rentch was the son of Andrew Rentch the wealth¬ iest-farmer of the County, living near Mt. Moriah Church in the Tilghmanton district. His mother was the sister of William Price the lawyer. lie had ridden into Williamsport to transact some bus¬ iness for his father at the store of Gruber and Schnebly. After doing so he accepted an invita¬ tion to take tea with one of those merchants. As- he walked back to the store after tea, he was ac¬ costed by a number of young men and ordered to leave the town. The reason for this was Rentch’s well known sympathy for the South of which he never hesitated to give very free expression. It was also believed that it was his intention to join the Southern army. He took no further notice of the encounter on the street than to ask one of the store keepers whether he:thought the men really intended to harm him. Receiving a negative reply he took his seat in the store and smoked a cigar. In a short time the crowd on the street, now con¬ siderably augmented, moved up to the store door leading Rentche’s horse and told him to leave at once. He was advised by his friends in the store to do so. After mounting his horse hot words -passed between him and the crowd. He drew a pistol and it was charged that he fired at the man who held the bridle to keep him from riding off. It is not certain, however, who fired the first shot. But he defied the mob and as he rode off he was struck on the head with a stone and almost sim¬ ultaneously a bullet fired by a man in the mob pierced his heart and he expired immediately. Clinton Rentch was at the time of his death twenty-four years of age. He was a graduate of Pranklin and Marshal College and was studying law with his uncle William Price. His temper was quick and impulsive, his disposition generous. His death created a deep impression and lor a time the destruction of Williamsport by the Con¬ federates was imminent in consequence of it. Just about the same time an occurrence of pecu¬ liar horror, in the same line as the Williamsport tragedy, took place in Chambersburg which se¬ verely tried the faith of the loyal people and especially of the abolitionists of Southern Penn¬ sylvania. The negroes of Maryland and Northern Virgina had hailed the coming of the Federal Army as the captive Jews had the messengers of Cyrus when they sang “how beautiful upon the Mountains are the feet of them that bring good tidings.” Many had taken refuge in the camps. But it was President Lincoln’s assurance that he in no wise intended to interfere with slavery and so the unfortunate refugees were promptly return¬ ed to their owners. Some of them received rough and cruel treatment from the soldiers. In Cham¬ bersburg there was a respectable, well-to-do colored man named Prank Jones. His next neighbour had been in the habit of selling whiskey to the soldiers who got drunk and created much disturb¬ ance around his door. Jones informed on the man and had the sale of whiskey stopped. This 3 LO HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD greatly incensed the soldiers who mobbed his house. Jones stoutly defended his family and his home and in doing so wounded one of the soldiers and drove them off. They soon, returned, however and Jones seeing he would be overpowered fled and being hotly pursued took refuge in the house of George Eyster the State’s Attorney, and there hid in the chimney place. The soldiers came up and demanded him, telling Mrs. Eyster that he was to go to jail. They dragged him into the street and deliberately butchered him in the most hor¬ rible and brutal manner. All these affairs were a fitting introduction to the wrinkled front of grim visaged war. Another outcome of the condition of war was the sudden disappearance of gold and silver in June 1861. The fractional paper currency had not yet been issued. The silver “change” was gone and no one could tell where. The newspa¬ pers remonstrated with the people for hoarding it but to no purpose. It had all gone into old stock¬ ings or other hiding places there to remain for many years. It was a matter of serious inconve¬ nience which was felt at every transaction in the stores. A saddler on Washington street under¬ took to stimulate trade by advertising that he would sell his wares for Virginia money and doubtless he was as successful in his design as the New Netherlander® when they offered to sell their goods for wampum. In a short time the Virginia money was of no more value than wampum. But for a time there was a great deal of it in the town brought over by the refugees. Erom the begin¬ ning of the war to its close there was a large number of fugitives from Virginia in Washington County and some of them became permanent citi¬ zens and are with us until now. They were Union people and had fled from the hostility of their secession neighbors or from the conscription. Many who were farmers brought their horses with them and earned money by plowing the land of those farmers whose horses had been taken from them by the armies. The price paid them for the day’s work of a man and two horses was live dollars. It was now that people were left to their own discretion as to whether or not they would pay their debts. A stay law had been enacted which suspended the execution of judgments for twelve months and exempted property to the value of $100 from debts. This latter feature was retain¬ ed after the stay law was repealed. In conse¬ quence of this stay law the newspapers discontinued all subscriptions which were in arrears, and the Herald and Torch Light, which had always enjoy¬ ed a large patronage south of the Potomac, now lost it all. On Saturday morning the fifteenth of June the Northern army began to pour into Hagerstown, and until Monday evening the heavy tramp of the soldiers, the beating of drums and the martial music of the military bands, the sound of the heavy baggage wagons and the trains of artillery did not cease. Here was the army with banners, the pomp and circumstance of war in the streets of Hagerstown. People left their usual avocations to gaze upon the unusual sight. The streets were filled with long lines of bristling bayonets; at every corner guards were stationed; companies paraded the streets. The brightness of the arms of the men had not yet been dulled nor their gay uniforms soiled by active service and the scene was very inspiring. All day long on Sunday the clangor of military movements continued and the roll of the drum mingled in confused sound with the peals of the church going bells. The congre¬ gations who attended church that day were small and inattentive. The army occupied all minds Some considered merely the glittering show of the hour, others saw with prophetic sight the coming havoc now that the dogs of war were unloosed. Many fearfully anticipated that havoc in our midst because Maryland was a border state and it seemed probable that the hostile forces would meet right here. The troops were well received by the people. The Union people were loud in thir ex¬ pression of loyalty whilst the secessionists gener¬ ally kept discreetly silent. They had nothing to fear, it was said, unless they should venture to think too loud. On Sunday Governor Hicks with Secret airf of State Grayson Eichelberger arrived in town and visited the different camps and re¬ viewed the troops. Governor Hicks was received with the greatest enthusiasm by the loyal people. The first troops to enter Hagerstown on Sat¬ urday were the lsth Pennsylvania under Col. Yhoe, 1000 strong. They marched through the town with drums beating and flags flying, out the Baltimore pike and encamped on Ranney Hun¬ ter’s farm below Funkstown. The 2nd Pennsyl¬ vania soon followed. In quick succession came the 7th under Col. Irwin, the 8th under Col. I'-'uly accompanied by General Williams and his staff and the 10th under Col. Meredith. The OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 311 Scott legion under Col. Gray passed down Poto¬ mac street to the College of St. James. The next day two more regiments, the 3rd and 24th Penn¬ sylvania under Cols. Neanier and Owens, went to Hunter's Camp. On Sunday morning the 14th and 15th Pennsylvania regiments under Cols. Johnson and Oaksford accompanied by General Nagle arrived and wtent into camp on Jonathan Hager’s field on the Baltimore pike a mile and a half from Hagerstown. Later in the day a splen¬ didly equipped Wisconsin regiment, another Penn¬ sylvania and a Connecticut regiment joined the same camp. During the same time heavy bodies of troops under Gen. Cadwallader were passing down the Greencastle road through the town and out to Williamsport. Among these were Capt. Doubledav with his famous company which had been in Fort Sumter and Governor Sprague with his Rhode Island men. These last marched across the river to the sound of martial music through water which came up in places breast high. When they reached the Virginia shore they planted a flag pole in the soil of the “Old Dominion” and as the Stars and Stripes waved in the breeze the shouts of the host rent the air. The column moved to¬ wards Martinsburg but the order to advance was soon countermanded and large bodies returned to Hagerstown and some remained in camp at Wil¬ liamsport. The troops which went down the Sharpsbusg pike to the College of St. James on Saturday the 15th consisted of 4,000 Pennsylvanians under Gen. Williams. The College was at that time a flour¬ ishing school filled with boys, the greater number of whom were from the South. The matron of the College, a lady of accomplishments, engaging manners and a lovely disposition, was Mrs. Porter, the mother of Major General Fitz John Porter. Fortunately for the College that distinguished of¬ ficer in the capacity of Adjutant General, was with the troops which encamped in the field south of the College and extending up to the great spring. To him Dr. Kerfoot naturally appealed and through his kind offices Generals Patterson and Williams were soon upon most friendly terms with the officers of the school. Indeed there was no reason why they should not be, for Dr. Ker¬ foot and most of his faculty were Northern men and ardently in favor of the Union. One of the instructors, Lucius P. Waddell, was a nephew of Gen. Porter. But it was a time of deepest anxiety for Dr. Kerfoot. That excellent gentleman felt a personal responsibility and almost a parents’ interest in each student. Most of these were from the South and separated now from their homes by a hostile army. When the approach of the soldiers was announced Dr. Kerfoot went out to the camp, which was in the field adjoining the College grounds, and appealed to General Wil¬ liams and was received by him with great consid¬ eration. The whole of the grounds on the south of the buildings around the spring was soon over¬ run with soldiers although the “line” ha'd been drawn across the grounds just below the spring— crossing the streams at the little bridge. The boys, of course, mixed with the soldiers, and al¬ though there was no immediate trouble the Rector was satisfied that it would result from the careless talk of excited Southern boys, so this intermingling was ended. One of the officers was a member of the Rev. Mr. Swope’s congregation in Pittsburg. Mr. Swope had been a Hagerstown boy .who had graduated at the College and been ordained for the ministry in the College Chapel. This officer brought a letter from his pastor to Dr. Kerfoot and greatly assisted the Rector in the trials of the invasion. Meantime Hagerstown continued to be a mil¬ itary camp and the sight of passing armies, the presence of soldiers, the great trains of wagons and the sound of martial music in the streets be¬ came familiar enough to the people. Captain Abner Doubleday with his Fort Sumter men were encamped on the Franklin railroad in the suburbs of the town. This camp was the center of curious throngs of visitors and sight seers ail of whom the captain received with great affability. Upon their part the citizens treated the military most cordially. Many of them invited the soldiers into their homes where they were hospitably entertained with the best that could be provided. Soon after leaving Hagers¬ town Captain Doubleday was promoted to the rank of Major and Lieut. George Bell of the regular army stationed for a short time in Hagerstown was made Captain. Capt. Bell was a son of Wil¬ liam D. Bell of the Torch Light. He had been appointed to West Point by Congressman Dixon Roman. On Monday after the first arrival of the troops the roads leading to the town were throng¬ ed with vehicles and men on horseback and afoot going to see the strange sights of the camps. The Court House was now taken for a guard room, the 312 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Market House and Town Hall for the storage of the army supplies. Jfajor General Patterson with his stall oeeupied the Female Heminary for their hcitihjiiarters. Fitz John Porter was assist¬ ant Adjutant General under Patterson and was a great deal in Hagerstown where he was a great favorite with the people. One of the officers, Col. 1C. H. Irwin of the Seventh Pennsylvania received a strange present whilst in Hagerstown. Andrew II. Hager equipped his negro boy ttaibl Fox, and presented him to Col Irwin as a body servant and the present was accepted without IttilUftWKiry serii- phfs. Indeed the Northern troops seemed to have the idea that it was their duty to fight for tire Union and did not concern themselves at all about slavery. Many of the negroes thought they had come to set them free, but tins belief was soon dispelled. A slave belonging to Jacob Strite lied and took refuge in the camp but he was promptly returned to his master. Later on orders came from Washington that no fugitive slave should be harbored by the army. The people now found that the dogs of war had not only been let loose IS# that Havoc had begun. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was an ar¬ tery of trade of the greatest value to the Union. Upon: it depended largely the supply of coal for the navy yard ant Vessels at Washington and con¬ sequently it was an object of attack by the (JpSr federates. Th®. Ckvlrspring Guards had stationed themselves for the protection - of Dam No. 5 and there engaged in target practice with the Virgin¬ ians on the opposite hank of the river. Both par¬ ties were well out of harm’s way. The canal had also been attacked and blockaded at Harper’s Ferry and Ur. Alfred Spates the President pro¬ ceeded to that point to remonstrate with the Vir¬ ginians. When he reached Dam No. 4 he found a body of men on each side of the river shooting lit each other. He went Wifflm unite ft white flag and begged the Confederates to desist, but General Johnson who yyp in command informed him that his orders were imperative to destroy all property which could be of benefit fft the United States authorities. He did what damage he could but it was not verv serious. Bv the llth of duly it had ail been repaired and navigation had been resum¬ ed. The Giiwrnment lent active aid and made a contract with the company to use all the coal the canal could deliver. Nor were the attacks confined to the canal. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad was much more important to the Govern¬ ment and all through the war there was a con¬ stant effort by the Confederates to cripple it. Bridges were destroyed so frequently that the com¬ pany found it necessary to keep duplicates of all in the exposed territory and by the aid of these and by the wonderfully active and vigorous man¬ agement of the company damages were repaired in an ini audibly short time. The Confederates aban¬ doned Harper’s Perry but that vitally important place was left exposed and on the 21st of June, a patty of four hundred Confederates returned, burnt the bridge over the Shenandoah, _ destroyed some of the Government property, cut the rail¬ road and threw a locomotive into the river. After arresting a few of the citizens who were hostile to the Southern cause they departed unmolested. It is hard to explain why, with a large army idle within a few miles, the Harper’s Ferry Arsen¬ al should have been left a prey to a small squad of Confederates. Indeed Major Doubleday was at the very time near the town. On the 19th he had left Hagerstown with a battery which he planted on a hill which overlooked the Virginia side for a long distance and with which lie prac¬ ticed upon the Confederates but it did not give them much concern. During the week from the 22d to the 29th of June, General Patterson re¬ mained in the County with two divisions contain¬ ing twenty thousand men. Col. Burnside with his Rhode Island regiment and Col. Miles with the 2nd and 3rd U, R. Cavalry had gone to Washing¬ ton, hut the remainder of the 1st Division occupied the hanks of the Potomac at Williamsport. The 2nd Division was in camp at Rannev Hunter’s, be¬ low Funkstown. After the news of the Confeder¬ ate raid upon Harper’s Ferry was received three regiments from the 2nd Division moved down to occupy Maryland Heights. Previously this high eminence had been occupied by a company of Kentucky Confederates under Blanton Dun¬ can, along with a party of Marylanders under Bradley T. Johnson. They had" erected rude cabins without roofs—and had entrenched them¬ selves behind a stockade of chestnut pickets made after the manner of the forts built in the West fill* protection against Indians., The presence of the army in and around Ha¬ gerstown made it a very stirring place. The ordi¬ nary foree of clerks at the post office were soon overwhelmed liv the increased volume of business and extra clerks were engaged and kept occupied day and night. The merchants also were doing OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 313 an active business and the pay of the soldiers went largely into their tills. The wheat and hay crop of the County that year was the largest for a long time and all of the products of the farms com¬ manded a ready sale at high prices. Paper money had not very greatly depreciated and wheat was bringing $1.15 per bushel. At one time 1500 Government mules were pastured near Hagerstown at 3 cents a day each. Hay was in great demand. The field of Michael Hammond adjacent to town was one great wagon yard filled with Govern¬ ment wagons, teams and teamsters. It was a remarkable bustling place and attracted large num¬ bers of sight seers. At one time fifty thousand bushels of oats were stored in the Market House. But it was not. long before the exhileration of ac¬ tive business began to give place to serious fears. The weather in the middle of June had turned very hot. The soldiers from the North were un¬ accustomed to such a temperature and the irreg¬ ularities of camp life. In a short time the hos¬ pitals began to fill up. The Academy building and the Court Hall were occupied by the sick and rapidly became overcrowded. Then no medicines were supplied by the Government and the sur¬ geons had to depend upon the people of the town for such supplies as -were absolutely needed. The ladies of Hagerstown and the surrounding County were unremitting in their attention to the sick. Dr. Hammond the Surgeon General recognized their valuable services by writing a letter in which he publicly thanked them in behalf of the Govern¬ ment. By the middle of July the number of sick in the hospitals was greatly augmented by the wounded who were gathered from the various skir¬ mishes along the Potomac and in Virginia as well as by those who became victims of the hot weath¬ er and camp life. Hospital tents had to be erec¬ ted in the Academy grounds. The constant suc¬ cession of military funerals had a most depressing effect upon the public and men began to talk about the general health of the town and suggest meas¬ ures for the prevention of an epidemic. Several bad accidents also occurred about this time. At Williamsport Hamilton Downs was severely wounded by a soldier. The trouble arose from a misunderstanding of a pass word. Then Silas Hines, a citizen of Rohrersville was shot down and killed by a Pederal picket near Keedysville. The whole lower part of the County at that time was picketted. Hines passed one of these and either did not hear his challenge or did not heed it and the picket killed him. During the last week in June there was a general movement of the troops encamped in and around Hagerstown. It was believed that a bat¬ tle would take place on the road between Williams¬ port and Winchester. Patterson’s forces tried to cross the Potomac at Dam No. 4, but found the water too deep to ford and then they went to Williamsport and there crossed and proceeded-to¬ wards Martinsburg. Near Palling Waters a por¬ tion of his troops encountered a small body of Confederates and a skirmish, took place. By the tenth of July the only troops left in Hagerstown were a portion of a Connecticut regiment en¬ camped on the Pair Grounds. In August the mil¬ itary depots and hospitals were all removed to Frederick. But whilst the great excitement of an import¬ ant military station had ceased, the town was not left in absolute peace and quiet. On the loth and 14th of July four regiments from Western New York arrived and two days earlier a Boston reg¬ iment spent a day, occupying the Lutheran and Methodist churches. On the 17th Col. Kenly encamped and remained several days near Downsville and then proceeded to Virginia. On the 20th another body of troops came from the North under Col. J. Nagle. And then large bod¬ ies of: men whose terms of enlistment had expired began to pass through going home to the North. July 20, the 9th and 13th Pennsylvania passed through going home. General Patterson’s army was almost disintegrated. With the enemy in front of them the three months for which they had enlisted expired, and they refused to remain any longer. In vain did Patterson expostulate. Nineteen regiments threw down their arms and departed. But in a short time troops who had enlisted for three years began moving to the front. Whilst these military movements greatly oc¬ cupied the minds of the people; other things were not entirely excluded from the public attention. In August the first direct tax by the general gov¬ ernment for a number of years, went into effect and gave great dissatisfaction to many of the peo¬ ple and more especially to those who considered the war wrong and unnecessary—(the “Peacie” party as they called themselves. A tax was laid upon carriages, gold watches and an excise tax of 314 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD jtv« cents a gallon on whiskey. This latter tax was considered very onerous by many people. Non¬ payment of these taxes was punished by imprison¬ ment. The total sum which Washington Coun¬ ty would be compelled by this act to contribute to the prosecution of the war, was estimated by the friends of the Union at twenty-two cents on the $100 of the assessed property of the County, This taxation could be easily paid, the Union people argued, without being felt and the way to do it was to decrease the County levy sixteen cents and go back to the old school law which required a tuition fee of four dollars a year for each pu¬ pil and this would save six cents more. But these suggestions were not adopted and the people grad¬ ually became accustomed to bear with equanimity much heavier burdens than this first increase in taxation. Indeed they soon looked back upon it as a time of comparative freedom from public burdens. Politics too had its share of public attention. Lewis P. Fiery who had been elected to the Gen¬ eral Assembly to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George Ereaner, was the leader of a small hut earnest minority of Union men in the Legislature then in session in Frederick. Mr. Dennis had offered a resolution recognizing the independence of the Southern Confederacj and against the resolution Mr. Fiery made a speech of intense enthusiasm. Before adjourning the Legislature had passed a law directing the various military organization of the State to surrender the arms which had been furnished by the State government. The Williamsport Company receiv¬ ed this command in high dudgeon and adopted a resolution setting forth their refusal to disarm themselves at the command of “the illegal and di'spotic act of the late traitorous legislature.” The Boonsboro Guards made no resistence. They delivered up their arms to Captain Davis’ Home Guards and disbanded. All this time the feeling of bitterness between the sympathizers of two contending parties, was on the increase. And soon arrests and imprisonment added fuel to the flame. Richard H. Alvey was above all others hated by the war party. It was known that his *As the train which carried Mr. Alvey to the North went through Mechanicstown, Pa., a party of men were in the railroad station discussing the ar¬ rest. One of them, a farmer, condemned it as un¬ justifiable. This offended several persons who were present and they took their revenge by tying the sympathies were wholly with the South. He came from a County, St. Mary’s, where all the people, almost without exception, were secessionists. He had taken a bold stand, as we have already seen, in favor of the right of secession and against the right of the General Government to coerce a State. Many of his Southern Maryland friends joined the Confederate army and several Southern¬ ers who were in the regular army and resigned at the beginning of the war came through Hagers¬ town on their way to their hemes or to the South and visited Mr. Alvey. Among these was Col. Jenifer, a friend from St. Mary’s County. All these things had directed the attention of the Union people to him but there was yet nothing tangible upon which to base an arrest. And so in June a trap was set. One night about ten o’clock whilst Mr. Alvey was in his law office a man in travelled stained clothes entered and pre¬ sented a letter purporting to come from one of the Southern Generals commending the bearer as a friend of the South and asking aid for him in obtaining information of the movements and dis¬ position of Federal troops. Mr. Alvey, not sus¬ pecting that the man was a spy, urge.d him to leave the town immediately. His presence there not only endangered his own safety but that of all with whom he should be seen. After some little talk the man left and in a few minutes a squad of soldiers came in and arrested Mr. Alvey alleg¬ ing as a cause, his reception of the man who had represented himself to be from the South and hi further justification pointed to the decoy letter which was still lying on the table. He was carried to the headquarters at the seminary that night and the next day sent to prison. He was successively at Forts McHenry, Hamilton and Warren.* At the latter prison he was in company with S. Teac-kle Wallis, George William Brown, Thomas John Ckgett and other members of the Legislature which had been broken up by the troops. After an imprisonment of seven months Mr. Alvey re¬ turned fa his home early in January lllfU upon parole not to enter the seceded States and to re¬ turn to Fort Warren whenever ordered to do so by Seeinfarf Seward. J. A. Eyester of Cham- farmer’s saddle to a tree so that when he mounted his horse in the dark to go home, the saddle was pulled from the horse and the rider with it, giving him an ugly fall. A suit for damages was the se¬ quel and the men had to pay roundly for their per¬ formance. the Antietai OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 317 bersburg had fallen into the hands of the Con¬ federates and in August 1S61 Mr. A. K. Sye&tei’ went to Richmond to secure his release. About the last of August 1861 Daniel Dechart the editor of the Hagerstown Mail was arrested and carried to Washington where he was detained six we&bs. Although a Pennsylvanian Dechert had conducted the Mail in violent opposition to the Government and to the coercion of the South. After Mr. Dechert’s return the tone of the Mail became much more moderate for a time. The next im¬ portant arrest was that of Dr. Charles Macgill by Captain Waltermyer of the 1st Maryland regiment, about September 30th. He was taken from his home on South Potomac street to Col. Kenly’s headquarters at Williamsport and the next day he was carried North on the Franklin railroad and consigned to Fort La Fayette, having refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Government. In the latter part of the summer the usual political conventions took place. The Union par¬ ty nominated A. W. Bradford for Governor and S. S. Moffett for Comptroller of the Treasury, and the Peace party placed before the people Ben¬ jamin C. Howard for Governor and A. Lingan Jarrett for Comptroller. The Washington County delegates to this convention were George Freaner, Dr. Charles Macgill Dr. B;. L. Boteler, Thomas H. Cramptoh. David Cushwa and Dr. Horine Weast. The holding of primaries by the anti¬ coercion party was roundly denounced by the Union papers and the Peace party was called “Jeff Davis’ Masked battery.” In this connection the persistent contention that the administration pur¬ posed to interfere with slavery was also denounced as false and malignant and a device of the enemy. Up to the spring of 1862 the “Herald and Torch Light” continued to denounce abolitionists and claimed that it was no part of the purpose of President Lincoln to interfere with slavery. One of the strong points it made against the Confeder¬ ates was that by bringing on the war it had de- strojnd the slave market and greatly impaired the value of slave property. At a sale in Frederick in April 1862, It quoted from the Frederick Ex¬ aminer, another Union paper, “a likely, sound, and healthy negro woman, aged thirty years, her two children, a boy of four and a girl of two, both well conditioned were sold in a lot for $200. Also a little boy aged ten was sold for $45 and a very likely mulatto girl aged fifteen was withdrawn at $95. Less than two years ago servants of this description would readily have commanded $2,» 500.” The Union ticket in the Fall of 1861 was Daniel Weisel for Judge of the Circuit Court, Lewis P. Fiery for Senator, George Pearson, J..V. L. Findlay, F. D. Herbert, Samuel Rohrer and J. J. Thomas for the House of Delegates; Henry Gantz for sheriff. The Peace party was subjected to great discouragements. The convention or a small number of the members assembled in Ha¬ gerstown on the 28tli of September and adjourned to October 15. There were grave doubts as to the advisability of nominating a ticket. Judge Thom¬ as Perry, who was on the bench, had already an¬ nounced himself a candidate for re-election. The Hagerstown Mail strongly urged the nomination of a ticket, but the Herald and Torch Light took the ground that no advocate of peace should be permitted to vote without first taking the oath of allegiance. A ticket was finally nominated how¬ ever to oppose the Union ticket. J. Dixon Roman was nominated for the Senate; for the House of Delegates Thomas H. Crumpton, J. H. Elgin, Sam¬ uel H. Smith, Dr. W. A. Riddlemoser and Peter A. Witmer were the candidates; for sheriff, Hugh Logan. The Union party, although their success was a foregone conclusion, were yet somewhat alarmed because of the absence of so many voters in the army. The number which had enlisted from the County had already reached six hundred and before the election a hundred and fifty more had gone. The Union people insisted that they should be permitted to come home to vote. They did come and a full vote was cast, electing the Union ticket by a majority of 2,978. There was some movement of the military all through the summer. During August the regi¬ ments of Col. Lamon and Col. Kon' v with the local companies commanded by Captain Kennedy were guarding the Potomac river at Williamsport and the 13th Massachusetts Was performing a similar service at Sharpsburg. No intercourse whatever was allowed between the two banks of the river except to receive the Virginia refugees. A man came over to Hagerstown from Morgan County to buy some supplies. As he attempted to return to his home he was arrested and searched and a small quantity of powder and shot which he had bought was confiscated. Persons from Maryland visiting Virginia sometimes met with a similar reception. The Rev. D. J. Lee an Episcopal cler¬ gyman of Hancock, who had left Virginia because he was a Union man, went with a party of ladies 318 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD to Winchester and was arrested and detained sever¬ al days. Mr. J. Gabby Duckett a youth of twenty years, son of Dr. T. B. Duckett, attempted to es¬ cape across the river in order to join the Southern army. Nothing was heard of him for several weeks and then his body came ashore at Shepherds- town with a bullet hole in his breast. By the autumn the number of Virginia, refugees in the County was estimated at a thousand. These peo¬ ple had rendered themselves obnoxious in their own homes by their Union sentiments and in flee¬ ing to Washington County, many of them brought their horses with them and later on plowed lands of those farmers whose horses had been taken from them by the army. For this work they got their own prices and probably made more money than they could have made hy farming their own lands. The Union people of the County complained of them bitterly for consenting to remain in inaction, enjoying the hospitality of the people rather than enlist in the army. In contrast to them the people of Washington County were eagerly entering the ranks. By the close of the year 1861 the number of recruits from the County had increased to a thousand and was still growing. There were four companies in the First regiment at that time in Frederick, namely the companies of Captains Cook, Holly, Yontz and Cronise; Captain Fiery’s cavalry was attached to the second regiment at Cumber¬ land ; Captains RussetlY, Kennedy’s and Karnes’ to Lamon’s at Williamsport. Captain Welshe’s infantry which had been raised in Hagerstown, was in the Fourth regiment of the Home Brigade. In addition to these there were about a hundred of our men enlisted in Pennsylvania regiments. The Home Brigade was formed in August. In the same month the Sharpsburg Company under the command of ('apt. Roger E. Cook, who afterwards became a Colonel, was mustered into service and the Clears] iring Company marched off to Frederick. The formation of a company in Hagerstown was begun. In September the Sharpsburg Infantry Company under Captain William M. Cronise left to join the 1st Regt. of the Home brigade, at Frederick. This was the second company which the small town of Sharpsburg bad furnished. On the 1st of October the Potomac Home Brigade, raised by Gov. Frank Thomas established head¬ quarters at the Fair Ground and Charles Welsh of Martinsburg, P. J. Mayberry of Hagerstown and T. II. Irvin of Boonsboro, opened an office near the headquarters to recruit the ranks of Gov. Thomas’ command. The inducements for enlist¬ ment were $13 a month with an allowance of $3.50 per month for clothing and a bounty of $100. In addition to this a tract of “bounty land” was promised to every soldier. Among the enlist¬ ments which attracted attention at this time was that of Dr. David Tschudy, of Hagerstown, aged seventy-one years. This was the man who was conspicuous many years before as a defendant in a trial for practicing medicine contrary to the Act of Assembly, not being a member of the Faculty. On the 6th of October the 13th Massachusetts and the 12th Indiana regiments belonging to Bank’s division, arrived at Williamsport and went into camp. The Massachusetts soldiers were still in camp there when Thanksgiving day came and their manner of celebrating that New England festival was different from anything the people of Wash¬ ington County had seen up to that time. The day they celebrated was the one selected by the Governor of Massachusetts and not the same day which was appointed by the Governor of Mary¬ land. Hundreds, of citizens gathered into the camp to see a New England Thanksgiving day. The soldiers received great numbers of turkeys and whole stacks of pumpkin pies from their friends at home. The festivities were concluded by a dance upon platforms erected in the camp. The festivities of the soldiers in Hagerstown were of a less interesting character and frequently gave rise to tumults and disturbances. It was impos¬ sible to prevent the sale of whiskey to them and when they got drunk they grew ugly and gave trouble. A favorite diversion was fast and reck¬ less riding through the streets to the great dan¬ ger of the people. In October a mob of them looted Jacob A. Wright’s tavern on North Poto¬ mac street, J. H. Cretin’s grocery and the barber shop of John Wagoner, a colored man. They smashed up everything they could lay their hands on and drank all the whiskey they could get. Al¬ most anything the soldiers did was defended or condoned by the strong Union people of the town. In this instance the excuse was that they had been infuriated by boys who had thrown stones at them, —a most lame and insufficient excuse for such a breach of discipline. Many crimes were commit- led by these armed and undiciplined troops in var¬ ious parts of the County. One of them shot at a son of Solomon Levi in Levi’s store in Clear- spring and wounded him. Another tragedy took place in the same neighborhood about the same OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 319 time. At a hog killing near Mooresville G. W. Mc¬ Allister shot and killed his father-in-law John Snyder. He was convicted of murder in the sec¬ ond degree and sent to the penitentiary for ten years. All during the summer of 1861 the booming of cannon was heard in Hagerstown. It came from the desultory firing across the Potomac. Par¬ ties of soldiers on the opposite sides of the river were constantly on the watch for each other but did each other little damage. On the 13th of September two parties began a duel across the riv¬ er and canal at Shepherdstown. The company of Captain David Souders of Sharpsburg mounted two old cannon and after sending to Sandy Hook for reinforcements, opened fire upon Shepherds¬ town. One of the shot went through a dwelling house in that village and the Confederates becom¬ ing alarnled for the safety of the women and children, sent over a flag of truce and put an end to the skirmish. The only damage to life in the affair was the killing of an unfortunate tow boy on the canal. On the 16th of October a fight oc¬ curred at Harper’s Ferry. On December 7 the sound of cannonading became so loud and appeared so near and violent as to create great alarm. It proved to be the work of Gen. Stonewall Jackson who had erected a battery and was endeavoring to destroy Dam No. 5 and cripple canal navigation. With the artillery he had he was unable to batter down the dam, which was constructed of splendid masonry, but it was greatly weakened. The Union soldiers on the Maryland side directed their fire at the Confeder¬ ates and did what they could to protect the dam. During the fusilade a barn belonging to Mrs. Ja¬ cob Eeitzell, containing a great quantity of grain, was destroyed. About this time the canal was taken under the protection of the Government. Another assault was made on Dam'No. 5. The Confederates under cover of Coulston’s splendid stone mill fired away at the dam until they had destroyed the cribbing, but before any further dam¬ age could be done the 5th Connecticut had erected a battery and shelled the Confederates out of the mill and then a party went across in skiffs and burned it. But for these interruptions canal navi¬ gation could have continued until January. Up to the second of January 1862 the weather was ex¬ ceedingly mild and the movements of troops went on unimpeded. On New Year’s day the mercury stood at 60 and fires were unnecessary. But the winter set in very cold on the second day of the year. It was surprising that such continuous firing could continue all the winter and result in so little destruction. More buildings were injured than people. A shell fired from Virginia went through Denton Jacques’ barn and exploded on the other side. Straggling parties of Union sol¬ diers now and then ventured across the Potomac and were almost invariably captured and there were constant alarms in Hagerstown about the Confederates crossing the river. During the last week in December large reinforcements of Feder¬ al troops arrived on the Potomac and among them Col. Kenly’s regiment, which resumed their former quarters at Williamsport. On Christmas day Co. H of the 1st Maryland, under Capt. B. H. Schley encamped within the WTills of old Fort Frederick and engaged in a brisk fire with a company of Confederates on the opposite side of the river, tearing up the tracks of the railroad. On the fifth of January a body of Federal troops came fleeing into Hancock from Bath, pursued by a party of Confederates who fired one or two shots into the town. The Federal troops under Gen. Kelly, had been for some time in possession of the town of Romney, Va. There was a telegraph line from Romney to Hancock and in the fall of 1861 this line was extended by the Government to Hagers¬ town. Up to the close of 1861 the war had not ser¬ iously distressed the people of the County. No losses of property beyond the damage to the canal and the burning of a few barns, those of George Stonebraker, near Bakersville and Jonathan Hager near Hagerstown among the rest, had been sustain¬ ed: The presence of the army whilst offensive to many of the people, had been rather to the advan¬ tage of the County in furnishing an excellent market for all kinds of products. So far the soldiers paid good prices for all they bought and when the army crossed the river at Williamsport into Virginia in March 1862 they left debts for flour and provisions amounting to nearly sixty thousand dollars which was all paid the following month. War had not actually shown itself in the County and it was at a later period that the peo¬ ple suffered so heavily. The ordinary occupations of the people went on pretty much as usual. The refugees from Vir¬ ginia fully supplied the places at the plow and in 320 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD the shop Of those who had joined the army. The schools were opened as Usual in the fall and even the College of St. James whose students nearly all came from the South, entered upon the autumn term as usual hut with only sixteen pupils left. This number gradually increased during the term hut did not reach fifty. The school year at the College was closed by the last public commence¬ ment which was held in 1802. An occurrence dur¬ ing the year was the withdrawal from the chapel of eighteen or twenty of the govs when Dr. Ker- f’oot began to read the Thanksgiving prayers for a Federal victory, directed by Bishop Whittingham. Soon after the opening of the Hagerstown Female Seminary tin! Rev. IVm, F. Fyster, the Principal, resigned to take clwge of the church at Smiths- burg. The school was continued by Hiss Mary Heffleman, assisted by Dr. Halm. Daniel Weisel was the President of the Board of Trustees. The political animosities were on the increase all the time. The Herald and Torchlight was the mouthpiece of the extreme Union party and noth¬ ing could exceed its bitterness of tone and senti¬ ment. It lashed itself and its readers into a perfect frenzy. Twenty or thirty of its subscribers who called themselves peace men, discontinued their subscriptions to the paper at the same time and this Was nil on the flames. It bitterly censur¬ ed the Government for its mildness and leniency and demanded more decisive measures against the secessionist. There w# fif encouragement, it said, to a loyal police to arrest them. Instead of being punished they Would he comfortably kept for a short time in some fort and then turned out on parole of honor as if the oath of allegiance was too strong for their weak stomachs. Gangs of young men dressed in the toggery of upper ten- dnrn, could he found on the streets, at the church doors and elsewhere littering treason, criticisng the administration and exclaiming for Jeff Davis. But the Torch Light could not complain of the leniency accorded to at least one prisoner. Jes-c B. Wharton, of Hagerstown, had been ar¬ rest'd and thrown into the old Capitol prison. One day he leaned out of a window in violation of the-rules and was promptly shot through the head by a Pennsylvania soldier named Ambrose Baker. It was claimed in extenuation that Whar¬ ton had refused to obey the command to withdraw from the window hut this was denied by his friends. The unfortunate man died within a few hours and was buried in the old Episcopal grave¬ yard in Hagerstown. Neither could the Maryland Legislature of 1862 be censured for its moderation for it enacted the “Treason Bill’ imposing the pen¬ alty of death for levying war against the State or adhering io its enemies, and various other severe punishment for a long list of political offences. Moderation came from an altogether unexpect¬ ed quarter. No man had been more extreme in his support of the Union cause than Lewis P. Eierv. He was one of the principal orators who had stirred the people of the County into active support of the Union cause. In the celebrated Frederick Legislature he had been the leader of the small minority who supported that cause and Was at all times an extremist. Possessed of un¬ questioned boldness and of a rugged, untutored eloquence this eccentric man seemed entirely suited for a leader in a time of great excitement. Upon this extreme platform he was sent to the Senate where his party friends were now entirely in the ascendency. Early in the session of 1862 to the untold disgust of his friends and constituents and to the amazement of all, he introduced a series of resolutions urging upon Congress an armistice dur¬ ing which to endeavor to secure the restoration of the Union by a peaceful conference with Jefferson Davis, upon the basis of the Crittenden resolutions. But Mr. Fiery’s party did not wish the Union re¬ stored upon any such terms. The power of the Confederacy was as yet unbroken and until it was broken no terms, they argued, should be either offered or acceepted. Senator Fiery’s speech in support of his reso¬ lutions was the most remarkable of all. It was one of the incidents of the session and attracted great attention and a large audience. In wild and impassioned language he spoke of the change which had taken place in him. He had been fa¬ mous for his boldness in the Legislature and in the field. He had strongly favored the war and had urged it on. But now he was a changed man. Up to his thirty-fifth year he had been an infidel. But recently he had visited a village church where lie had heard preached the truth as it is in Jesus. As he walked home from the church, like Saul of Tarsus a great light fell upon him from heaven and a great joy broke in upon his soul, and now he felt it to he his mission to reconcile the breth- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAKYLAND. 321 ren of the nation and bring back again the haJ low¬ ed days of peace.* In the same Legislature, Mr. John V. L. Findlay, who had been elected on the ticket with Mr. Fiery, introduced resolutions, warning the Federal Government not to infringe on the rights of the States, nor to interfere with slavery upon the plea of military necessity. These resolutions met with but little more favor than did Fiery's. “The Federal interference with slavery 1 ' which Mr. Findlay desired to avert was already giving trouble and causing complications. The laws of Mary¬ land as they then were, prohibited the confinement of negroes in the State penitentiary. The punish¬ ment for felony was to sell the negro convict of crime out of the State. Now there was nowhere beyond the State where they could be sold and the sentences of the courts could not be executed. The result was the jail was soon filled with negroes and nothing to be done with them. A curious occurrence which took place in December 1860 may be related in this connection. A negro girl named Sims set fire to Mr. Startzman’s barn and upon the trial for the crime she said that years before her brother had been sold to Georgia and she had burned the barn expecting also to be sold to Georgia and there she would be with her brother. But she could not be gratified. There was at this time a law prohibiting free negroes from entering the State and in enforcing this law two free negro servants of Captain Holibert of the army were arrested and carried before the Orphans’ Court and by that court committed to jail. But the soldiers had small respect for Maryland law and went to the jail and forcibly took possession of the prison¬ ers. By the beginning of the year 1862 the ef¬ fect of the war upon the markets and the daily life of the people began to be keenly felt. The price of wheat, which was almost the only thing the far¬ mer had to sell had not kept pace with what he had to buy. Not until February 1862 did it ad¬ vance beyond $1.15 per bushel and then it went up to $1.30. But at $1.15 nearly the whole crop was sold. During the last three months of 1861 and January and February 1862 the Franklin rail¬ road carried from Hagerstown 828.C00 bushels of wheat and 40,000 barrels of flour, equivalent in all to over a million bushels. And while wheat was selling so low the prices of several articles in 3aiiy use had become almost prohibitory. Coffee and tea were so expensive that the use of them was generally abandoned and many ingenious substi¬ tutes for coffee were invented. In every newspapr there was some recipe for making imitation coffee. Bye was soaked in warm water until swelled, then it was roasted. This was regarded as about the best substitute, but the flavor would be improved, it was gravel)' suggested, by the addition of one- third real coffee. Boasted barley was also used, sweet potatoes were cut into fine pieces, roasted brown, ground fine and made into coffee. These were only a few of the devices of the people for de¬ ceiving themselves into the belief that they were drinking coffee. Great inconvenience was now felt also at the entire disappearance of all coin. No “change” was to be had. The banks would part with no specie which once got into their vaults, and all that the people had went into the old stockings. There was a “premium” on gold and silver and all desired to make the most of it. Dol¬ lar bills had indeed, early in 1862 taken the place of gold dollars, but for some months there was nothing to take the place of the subsidiary silver coin, and then the “shin plasters” were issued. As soon as it became apparent that gold would command a premium, J. Dixon Boman, the President of the Hagerstown Bank, made a finan¬ cial stroke which laid the foundation of the large surplus fund which has made the capital stock of that old institution worth more than six dollars for one. Pie raised all the money the bank could com¬ mand and bought exchange on London which was subsequently sold at an enormous advance. * Senator Fiery did not return to live in his na¬ tive County but bought a farm in Anne Arundel where he resided until his death. CHAPTER XXI t HE issue of enormous quantities of green¬ backs which were freely spent by the sol¬ diers and government purchasing agents, caused during the spring of 1862, “flush” times in Washington County. Money was very abundant. It was difficult for the fortunate pos¬ sessors to find proper investments for it, and the habit of spending with greater freedom than at any former time, was contracted by the people. The Hagerstown Bank was almost overwhelmed with money and in May reduced its capital stock from $250,000 to $150,000, which it was authorized to do by an Act of the Legislature at its previous session. This step was also deemed advisable by reason of abandonment of its circulation, which was made necessary by the government tax under the National Banking Law. A considerable sum of money was brought into the County from the State Treasury. The Legislature of 1862 enacted a “Dependent Pension” bill for the relief of the families of Maryland Volunteers. For the dis¬ bursement -of the money a commissioner was ap¬ pointed for each County. P. Dorsey Herbert was the Commissioner for Washington County. The First Maryland Regiment had gone to the front from the camp at Williamsport, and was under Banks at Front Royal in the battle of May, 1862. The news of the Federal defeat at Front Royal caused the wildest excitement in Hagers¬ town. It was reported that the 1st Maryland had been entirely cut to pieces, and that its command¬ er, Col. John R. Kenly, and other officers of the Regiment had been wounded and taken prisoners, and had then had their throats cut by their captors. Colonel Kenly was greatly beloved by the Union people of Washington County, and the belief that he had been murdered drove them almost to fren¬ zy. They were in such a state of mind at this time that they were prepared to believe the South¬ ern people capable of any crime, however re¬ volting. Col. Kenly was a man to inspire feelings of the warmest admiration. He was born in Baltimore in 1822, and practiced law in that city from 1845 to 1893 except while he was in the army. He led a company of volunteers into the Mexican war, and distinguished himself for his bravery. Upon the conclusion of the Mexican war, he received the thanks of the State of Maryland by a vote of the General Assembly. In 1861, he promptly joined the Union Army and during the great struggle he attained the rank of Major General of Volun¬ teers, having served for a time as provost marshal of Baltimore. For his services he, for a second time, was honored by a vote of thanks from the General Assembly, and the city of Baltimore pre¬ sented a sword to him. Down to 1892 Gen. Kenly was still living a retired life in Baltimore, and although poor, further added to his distinction by refusing a pension from the Government. It was for his gallant conduct at the Battle of Front Royal that the rank of Brigadier General was conferred upon him. He was taken prisoner in the fight and released upon his parole. He was wounded on his head by a sabre cut. He was re : ceived in Hagerstown with great enthusiasm. The Federal Army had been chased from Front Royal to the banks of the Potomac and the soldiers cross¬ ed the river greatly demoralized. The secession¬ ists in Hagerstown precipitated the riots that fol- 324 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD lowed, by their ill concealed exultation at the result of the battle. An iniuriated mob was quickly formed and directed its attention first to the office of the Hagerstown Mail, a newspaper which had been particularly obnoxious lo the Union senti¬ ment. The Mail offits? was then in the building at the north-west corner of the tiqttarc. From the talk of the ang'ry ijiob, which was composed partly of Virginia refugees, it was supposed early in the day that an attack would be made upon the office. Thomas B. Grim, then a voting printer and sub¬ sequently for many years employed by the Mail, had been spending the nights in the office behind heavily barricated doors. On the afternoon of the 24th of May, Dechart, the proprietor of the paper, was at his home. Here he was informed that a mob Was threatening to destroy his office. He went to. pee Mr. Radciift, the Mayor, and asked him to. see that his property was protected from destruction. The Mayor as¬ sured him that he Was entitled to no protection whatever. It was Upon the refusal of the town authorities to afford this protection that a suit for damages was instituted by Dechert against the Maj-or and Council in isos, and a verdict rendered against the town for seven thousand five hundred dollars. The same mob destroyed during- the same night the hardware store of Nathaniel Sener, and he also recovered damages against the town. *From the Herald and Torch Light April 15, 1871. On Tuesday of last week, after we had gone to Press, the Jury in the case of Nathaniel Sener vs. the Mayor and Council of Hagerstown, the suit being for losses sustained at the hands of a mob in the year 1862, rendered a verdict in favor of the Plain¬ tiff, assessing his damages at $3,000. Whilst the citizens of this town deplore the outrages which were perpetrated upon Mr. Sehner and other parties in a time of war and violence, they feel that they ought not to be held responsible fpr them, and therefore there is a very decided wish that the law which has imposed upon them this responsi¬ bility should be thoroughly tested in the highest Courts. During those days of violence and blood¬ shed, the stores of our Merchants were repeatedly broken open by the Confederate invaders, and goods taken amounting from One Hundred to Three Thou¬ sand Dollars, for w-hich not one cent has ever been or ever will be paid, so that the parties who have sued the town are not the only sufferers from the lawlessness of the times. In speaking of the law, the Mail says: “The general law requires suits of this nature to be instituted within three years, but the Legis¬ lature of January 1867, passed a special act, author¬ izing suits of this character to be brought at any These judgments and the sum levied upon the town by Gen. McCausland, of which we shall write later, were paid with money raised by the sale of town bands, which were ltot finally paid off until about twenty yearn after the close of the war.* Fallowing the Feteal Army which retreated into Washington County after the battle of Front Royal, came a tremendous nondescript horde of invade-'. Many of the citizens of the County were engaged in business in Virginia. These all came back stripped of their possessions. With them came hundreds and almost thousands of Virginia refugee#—Union people who: fled from their homes now that the protection of the Northern Army was withdrawn. In the wake of frl® flying Army came also not less than two thousand fugitive negroes. These were in a ij#8t pitiable condition of destitu¬ tion. They were making a dash for freedom, and brought with them nothing but the clothes they wore. Some of them kept on to C'hambersburg and quartered themsehes upon the negroes of that town, filling their dwellings to suffocation. Oth¬ ers went still further north, but the great body of them encamped near Hagerstown, and existed upon what they could beg or what charitable citi¬ zens sent to them. But their condition was for¬ lorn, and grew so bad that many of them deter¬ mined to return to their masters in Virginia, pre¬ ferring slawry to the hardsdhips of a fugitive life. time within five years. The question of the consti¬ tutionality of this special act was raised and discuss¬ ed. The counsel for the town contended that they had the right, after May, 1865, to plead the statute of limitation, that it had become a vested right which the Legislature had no right or power to deprive them of. The counsel for the plaintiff in reply, contended that the plea of limitation was not a plea to the merits of the case, that the special act of 1867 de¬ prived the defendant of no right, but it only enlarg¬ ed the time when these suits could be brought. The Court (Judge Motter and Judge Perry being on the bench) decided the act of 1867 Constitutional and remarked that the Circuit Courts were bound, in questions of doubtful Constitutionality to decide that the Legislature had acted not beyond their authority and that their acts were in accord with the fundamental law of the State.” Upon this point the case should not only go to the Court of Appeals, but if decided adversely to the town by that tribunal, it should be carried to the Supreme Court of the United States for final ad¬ judication. The question as to the power of the Legislature to pass a law by which all this class of cases were taken out of the statute of limitation, is a very far-reaching one in its consequences, and ought to be thoroughly tested before it is submitted to. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 325 The miseries of these “Contrabands,” as they were called, were further increased by disease, which broke out in their camp. Early in June they were terrified by the appearance of smallpox amongst them; but there were only a few cases, and they of a mild type. In Hagerstown all was bustle and life. The streets were filled with soldiers, wagons, horsemen, strangers and camp followers—a motley crew. The soldiers spent their money freely, and the volun¬ teers had their bounties to spend. Business was active, and the shops carried on a large trade. But excepting though the sale of provisions and feed to the Army, the farmers did not reap any of the rich harvest of greenbacks. Many of them lost largely by the depreciations of horse thieves. An organized band of these miscreants infested the County and in consequence of the great demand for horses by the Government, easily disposed of their plunder. The farmers organized “horse thief detective Associations” which continued to exist for several years after the war had closed. The wheat crop in 1862 was excellent but the price was out of all proportions with the prevailing prices of other commodites. In June it was sell¬ ing as low as $1.10 per bushel. Harvest was very late. The first wheat was cut after the first week in July and in consequence of the tangled condition of the grain and the imperfect appliances for har¬ vesting, as compared with the binding reapers of the present day, the work of reaping was not con¬ cluded until the tv T enty-second of July. At that time wheat was still selling at $1.10 to $1.20, whilst gold had gone up to 117. By the fourth of June, Gen. Banks had re- crossed the Potomac and was advancing into Vir¬ ginia. Ten days later he sent five hundred pris¬ oners to the rear, and they arrived in Hagers¬ town on the 14th, under guard of four companies of soldiers. These were the first Confederates who had yet been in Hagerstown. Their advent Created great interest, and the whole population turned out to see them. Their condition was forlorn. Their gray uniforms were in rags, and they were barefooted and foot sore. They spent the night in the seminary grounds, and went to Harrisburg the next day on a special train. In the spring, a portion of a Maine regiment had a slight taste of Confederate fare. It had been detached to guard the Baltimore & Ohio railroad between Harper's Perry and Weverton, and had been left entirely without provisions. The soldiers had to subsist upon such provisions as they could beg, borrow or steal from the farmers of the neighborhood. There was loud complaint among the people about the constant thefts. On the 19th of June there was another mob in Hagerstown. This time Rhodes’ restaurant and George Gruber’s silversmith shop were gutted. Those who lost property by these raids received no sort of sympathy from the Union people. The comments of the Herald and Torchlight were that “those who sympathize with this hellish rebellion, inaugurated for the overthrow of the Government, law and order, are beginning to see and feel its consequences.” Late in the summer there was striking testi¬ mony to the loyalty of the people of Washington County to the Government. In August a draft was ordered. This spread consternation in the ranks of the disaffected but stimulated the loyal to enlistment. The officers of the 29th Pennsyl¬ vania Regiment were in Washington County at the time, acting as Provost Marshals. They adminis¬ tered the oath of allegiance to all “suspects,” and those who refused to take it were sent to prison. Among those who suffered the penalty at this time were Judge John Thompson Mason, David Prctz- man, Samuel Mock, Solomon Keller, Joseph Wil¬ liams, Samuel J. Price and Joseph Stonebraker. All of these gentlemen were sent to Port McHen¬ ry. A large number of Southern sympathizers now lied from the County to escape the impending draft. These were known at the time as “Ske- daddlers.” Prompt measures were adopted to put a stop to “skedaddling.” No one, subject to mil¬ itary duty, was suffered upon any pretense {o leave the County without a passport. On the fifth of August, a meeting was held in Hagerstown which passed resolutions approving the draft, upon the ground that in this way many disloyalists could be caught and compelled to serve their country. Over this meeting Judge Daniel Weisel presided. The State of Maryland was com¬ pelled to furnish a certain number of recruits to the army, and Washington County had to bear its proportion of that number, either by draft or by voluntary enlistment. The enlistments in the County had already been very numerous, and many had enlisted in the regiments of other coimties and States. Notwithstanding the resolutions of the meeting in approval of the draft, there was no desire upon the part of the most loyal to be drafted and immediate steps were taken to secure volun- 326 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD tary enlistments. Active recruiting began. Lieut. Ratcliff took possession of tlie abandoned office of the Hagerstown Mail and there opened a recruit¬ ing office and much to the gratification of the populace, the stars and stripes waved proudly over that disloyal apartment. But the recruiting w ! as not sufficiently rapid to satisfy the demands of the occasion, and it was determined that it must be stimulated. The first inducement held out to volunteers was an ofEer made by Mr. P. L. Blood the Principal of the Hagerstown Academy. This gentleman offered to teach the sons of volunteers for a year free of charge. But there is no evidence that any one offered himself “as food for powder” in order to get his son educated. Later in the month, a public meeting was held in the Court House which adopt¬ ed resolutions favoring the appropriation by the County Commissioners of sixty thousand dollars, to be used in paying bounties to volunteers. The suggestion was adopted by the County Commis¬ sioners, and the appropriation was made. Its ef¬ fect was magical. Enlistments were made In great numbers and it is doubtful whether any part of the loyal states furnished so large a number of volunteers in proportion to the population as Washington County. Added to the number who went into the Northern Army, we must not forget that there were many in the Southern Army also. At the time this bounty was offered there wore eighty enlistments from the Indian Springs District, nearly one-third of the entire number of the voting population. In Hagerstown which had but six hundred voters and a large portion of them disaffected, two hundred volunteered. But Clear- spring was the banner district. More than one- half of the entire voting population of the village of Clearspring volunteered—seventy-three out of a hundred and twenty-four voters. Among the Clearspring enlistments were seven from a single family; a father, George W. Chase, with his six sons. Near the last of August Captain Edward M. Mobley of the Bradford Guards, took his com¬ pany to Baltimore, where they were mustered into the Seventh Maryland, Col. E. H. Webster. On the way to Baltimore the soldiers were handsomely entertained at Frederick. A committee of citizens appointed by the County Commissioners, composed of William Updegraff, Joseph P. Mong, Thomas A. Boultt, Henry Gantz, Benjamin Harris, F. A. Heard, D. C. Aughinbaugh and Charles A. Gel- wicks, accompanied the Bradford Guards to Bal¬ timore, and after they were mustered inLo the seryieo each man received from the committee a bounty of one hundred dollars, from the sum ap¬ propriated by the County. The money after be¬ ing handed over was nearly all returned to the in¬ dividual members of the committee, to be carried back home for the families of the soldiers. The war was now getting to be a very serious business in Washington County. Privations and deaths, widows and orphans began to result. Major Wm. B. Kennedy, a brave officer from Williams¬ port was killed at Cedar Mountain in 1862. Taxes too, began to increase. Federal license taxes were imposed. There was a license tax upon almost every occupation, ranging from $10 upon profess¬ ional men and ordinary business to $100 unon banks and wholesale dealers. September was a month of terrors to the great mass of the Union people of the County. The Southern army had been successful every¬ where and when a squad of Virginia Cavalry dash¬ ed into Hagerstown on Thursday September 11, 1862, a considerable portion of the Union popula¬ tion had departed, and taken refuge in Pennsyl¬ vania. As soon as it became known that Lee had crossed into Frederick County, these people were in mortal terror. Hundreds hung continually around the Cumberland Valley railroad station ready to start upon the slightest alarm. Many s'at for hours in a railroad car waitnsr for a train to start for the North. Many went finally, carrying as much of their movable property with them as possible. The regiment which followed the ad¬ vance guard of Confederates into Hagerstown was commanded by a former citzen of Washington County, L, T. Brien. Then came Toombs’ bri¬ gade, which marched through the town and en¬ camped on the Cumberland Valley railroad. The next day at 11 o’clock came General Robert E. Lee marching at the head of Longstreet’s Division. For three hours these troops were pouring in. These encamped on the Southeastern part of the town. The condition of the Confederate soldiers was described m being deplorable beyond descrip¬ tion. They were “not only badly clothed and un¬ clean. but in a half starving condition. For days, indeed, since the fights at Centreville, they had subsisted on rations of bread irregularly issued, and green corn and fruits. Hundreds were weak¬ ened by diarrhoea and worn out by their long marches, but they fight desperately because worn OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 327 out by hunger and want.* This was their condi¬ tion when they started on their hot and weary inarch to fight the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. As soon as these men got into the town, the stores were quickly thronged, and articles of cloth¬ ing and food were bought and paid for in the only money they had—Confederate script. But there was not much for them to buy, as nearly all the merchants had fled, and carried their merchandise with them. The Confederate Quartermaster Gen¬ eral impressed all the produce, clothing, hats, shoes, &c., that could be found, and made pay- *The Herald and Torch Light. ment partly in greenbacks. Longstreets’ men were sent back to South Mountain and Sunday night at 12 o’clock, Toombs with his brigade started down the Sharpsburg pike, and took position on the hill overlooking Burnside’s bridge. Monday, Gen. Reynolds at the head of a Federal force oc¬ cupied the town. After the battle of Antietam, Governor Bradford of Maryland with his stall and a number of volunteer surgeons visited the battle field. Upon his return to Annapolis he issued a proclamation, thanking the Majyland troops under McClellan, and that General himself in the name of the State of Maryland. CHAPTER XXII HE month of September, 1862, was the most eventful in the history of Washington County. Two battles were fought in the County during that month, and one of them the most hotly contested and one of the most sanguinary of all the battles of the Civil War. In¬ deed, the battle of Sharpsburg may rank with the decisive battles of the world. It was one of those battles which decided the fate of a nation and changed the course of history. Had General Lee gained a decisive victory on the field of Antietam, in three days more he would have been in Wash¬ ington, and have dictated terms of peace which would have given the Confederate States of Amer¬ ica a place among the independent nations of the world. The armies which confronted each other at Antietam on the 17th day of September, 1862, formed a striking contrast. Lee’s army was com¬ posed of about thirty-five thousand men, weary and exhausted from long marches, with feet torn and bleeding from marching barefooted in a rough and rocky country, clad in rags, famished and weakened by disease brought on by subsistence upon green fruit and ears of green corn eaten raw. But they were flushed with victory, and between them and their commander there existed that confidence which multiplies the effectiveness of an army. Victualed, equipped, clad, and fresh as the Feder¬ al Army which opposed them, these men in the hands of Lee, Jackson, Hill and Longstreet would have been invincible. The army of General Mc¬ Clellan contained eighty-seven thousand men, fresh, well fed and admirably equipped with every appliance of war which the unlimited resources of the Government could command. But its mate¬ rial was heterogenous. Many were new recruits who had never yet been in an engagement; those who were veterans had been serving under incom¬ petent and discredited commanders, and were dis¬ pirited. Gen. McClellan had taken command but a short time before. He did not know the men, and could have no confidence in them, and it is likely that this want of confidence saved Lee’s army from annihilation, for McClellan deemed it necessary to keep a large force in reserve, and so at the close of the engagement there were about twenty-seven thousand men who had not fired a shot. If McClellan had felt safe in bringing this reserve into action, Lee could not have escaped, for his army was worn out and decimated and his ammunition exhausted. McClellan doubtless un¬ der-estimated the fighting qualities of his army, and missed the opportunity of his life by permit¬ ting, Lee to escape. But who shall judge him I He knew that a repulse would be almost as disas¬ trous to Lee as a defeat. He knew that his army alone stood between the Confederates and Washing¬ ton, and that the consequences of a defeat of his undisciplined forces would be too momentous to I® lightly risked. The whole month of September was a time of intense excitement and alarm for the people of Hagerstown. The fortunes of the Con¬ federacy were at the flood. The prevailing impression in the South was that Maryland was a friendly state to them and was ready to fall into the arms of the Confederacy whenever the duress of the Northern Army was removed. This impres¬ sion of the sympathy for the South was entirely 330 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD correct, so far as Southern and Eastern Maryland was concerned, hut that it was not shared by the people of 'Western Maryland the Confederacy learned to its entire disgust in the campaign of 1802. But the loyal people of Hagerstown had no confidence whatever in the moderation of the Southern troops, although they were afterwards brought to acknowledge it. The excitement and trepidation did not subside until Lee had retired across the Potomac two days after the hatt-le of Antietam. Lee having entirely defeated the Federal forces under Pope and driven them back on the Potomac, on the 5th day of September, 1862, cross¬ ed the Potomac into Frederick County, at W r hite’s Ford, The troops, and especially the Maryland regiments, notwithstanding their hunger and fa¬ tigue, set foot Upon Maryland soil with great en¬ thusiasm singing and shouting, while the bands played "Maryland, My Maryland/’ The army went into camp near Frederick City. On the 10th, Wednesday, Sfeffltsssall Jackson, McLaws and Wal¬ ker. with their respective commands were detached to invest Harper’s Ferry and capture the garrison, which had been permitted to remain there as an easy prey. Walker crossed the Potomac at the Point of Rocks, and took position on Loudoun Heights. Jackson and McLaws marched through Washington OwPt.v. the former crossing the Poto¬ mac at Williamsport and approaching Harper’s Furry through MaftiMburg from the West and the latter occupying Maryland Heights. Several hun¬ dred men were ptft to each piece of artillery and a battery was drawn up the rugged mountain, and planted, overlooking the town but too high up for efficient work. With Ms army thus weakened by division, Lee marched up the Boonshoro turnpike to Hagers¬ town, with McClellan and his ninety thousand fresh and well fed troops closely following. In Frederick, General McClellan got possession of the celebrated lost order, directed to General D. H. Hill, which give- him complete information of Lees’ plan of campaign, and advised him of the division of the Southern Army in front of him. D. II. Hill had been left with'five thousand men, as a rear guard to impede McClellan’s progress as much as he could with so small a force. He sta¬ tioned himself in Turner’s Gap, where the National turnpike crosses South Mountain his right resting upon Orampton’s Gap some miles below, just above the village of Burkettsville. It was design¬ ed to defend this pass also, as long as possible, to prevent the relief of Harper’s Ferry. It was in this portion of the battlefied of South Mountain that General, afterwards President, Rutherford B. Hays was wounded. Here the battle of South Mountain was fought on the 14th of September. Crampton’s Gap was carried by the Federal forces under General Frank¬ lin, after an engagement of three hours. On the Turner’s Gap part of the field, the action began early in the morning of the 14th. Burnside’s di¬ vision encountered the first Confederates at the bridge over Catoetin creek, a short distance west of Middletown. General Hill occupied the crest of the mountain at the Mountain House on the turnpike and also had a detachment to protect an ordinary wagon road, crossing through Fox’s Gap a short distance so util of Turner’s Gap. In the meantime Lee, with the main body of his troops had reached Hagerstown. On the night of the 13th learning of the approaching attack by Mc¬ Clellan's great army upon Hill’s division, Lee or¬ dered Longstreet. to return to South Mountain and support Hill. Longstreet detached Toombs to re¬ main in Hagerstown to guard the baggage and supplies and with the remainder of his army, began the march over the hot and dusty pike, thir¬ teen miles to Turners Gap, early on the morning of the 14th. He arrived upon the scene of the battle at three in the afternoon and found Hill with his little band still gallantly struggling with the great army before him, but in a demoralized condition. A courier was dispatched to General Lee informing him of the situation. The com¬ bined forces of Longstreet and Hill continued to hold the Gap until nightfall, when they received an older from Lee to retire to Stsirpsburg. They ommM the Antietam on the afternoon of the next day and formed in front of Sharpsburg on both sides of the Boonshoro pike. The battle of South Mountain was two inde¬ pendent actions, some si* miles apart, the South¬ ern, in Cramptons Gap, now called Gap]and ; the Northern was In Turner’s and in Fox’s. Cramp- ton’s Gap is six miles north of the Potomac, and looks from the east like a low shelf, or niche, in the middle of the high sweep of the South Mountain. On Sunday, September 14, 1862, General Franklin, with the Sixth Federal Corps, carried Crampton’s Gap in the afternoon, marching from .lell'erson, Frederick County. This division in the battle was commanded by General Slocum, Smith’s OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 331 division in reserve. The Confederates were com¬ manded by General Howell Cobb. Slocum lost 112 killed and 400 wounded; and took 400 pris¬ oners. The Confederates lost rather more.* On the afternoon of September 15, the Con¬ federates began assembling and taking position on the field of Antietam. D. H. Hill and Longstreet were the first on the ground, having, as already said, retired into their positions from South Moun¬ tain, coming to the fiaidjiy the Boonsboro' pike. Lee, with the main body of troops, came down the Sharpsburg pike from Hagerstown, Jackson, after an all night's march from Harper’s Perry, crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown and reported at Lee’s headquarters in the morning of the 16th. Anderson, McLaws and A. P. Hill arrived the next day while the battle was in progress. The Confederate right rested at Burnside’s Bridge which was defended by Toombs, and ex¬ tended over the rugged hills to Sharpsburg, across the present site of the National Cemetery, and on by the Dunkard Church, through the thick -woods which then extended up to it from behind, and on nearly to the river, which makes a bold sweep to the east below Mercersville. The left of the line was in command of Jackson and right under Longstreet, with Hood, of Longstreet’s Division to strengthen the line at the Dunkard Church. Gen. Lee established his headquarters on the Shepherds- town road a short distance from the present site of the Norfolk and Western railroad station and near Jacob Marker’s House. On the afternoon of the fifteenth, the Federal troops began to appear over the crest of the hill which overlooks the Antietam creek from the east. Of this arrival, Gen. Long¬ street in his description of the battle, in the Cen¬ tury Magazine, says “the number increased and larger and larger grew the field of blue until it *In 1885 Mr. George Alfred Townsend, a prom¬ inent army correspondent, bought the ground in Crampton’s Gap and for a mile south of it, and be¬ gan the erection of a retreat, or summer residence, which he named Gapland, on account of several Gaps in sight as well as the nature of his land. No other house stood on the mountain within twelve miles distance, or south of the old Mountain Hotel in Turner’s Gap. The elevation of Gapland is one thousand feet and it is the easiest ascent of any gap in the mountain. A mile below it, to the west, is Gapland railroad station, which receives much of the hauling from the Catoctin or Middletown Val¬ ley; a mile east is the village of Burkittsville. it had long been predicted that some important erec¬ tion would be made on this Gap, which commands bold mountain views on both sides, from McClell¬ an’s Look Out, on Red Hill, to Braddoclt’s Heights, since a resort on C # atoctin Mountain, and the South Mountain also mounts up near Crampton’s Gap to Mt. Gath, or White Rock, 1800 feet. Mr. Townsend in the Autumn of 1884, having gone there to add a scene to his novel, “Katy of Catoctin,” bought the site, and he built there in the following year and later, not less than six residences, in cluster, mainly stone houses. In 1896 he built the War Correspond¬ ent’s Memorial at the forks of the cross roads on the top of the mountain, one of the largest monuments upon the battlefields of the Civil War, 50 feet high and 40 feet broad. It consists of an Arabian, or horse shoe arch of Hummelstown purple stone, 16 feet high and span, of which the Keystone weighs two tons: Above this are three Roman arches of limestone from Cedar Creek battlefield, Virginia, each nine feet high and six feet wide. They were said at the dedication to typify Description, Depic¬ tion and Photography, the great arch below the horse’s shoe, which carried the newsman. Abreast of the arches in the tower, is a recessed statue of Pan, with a mouth organ, and half drawing, or sheathing a Roman sword. Near the arch, in spandrils, are terra cotta heads of electricity ’ and .poetry. 'Two horse heads are above the upper arches. This is the first monument which was erected of the local, rude mountain stone. It is battle- mented and machiolated and over the turret, or smaller tower, has a gold vane of a pen bending a sword." The sign “War Correspondents,” in carved Vermillion brick spans the structure. Under the two heads, upon shields, are the words “Speed,” and “Heed.” In the rear the structure is all . of ruae stone, and has two tablets giving the names of all the press correspondents and the pictorial men of the illustrated papers. North and South, one hun¬ dred and fifty-two in number. At the ends of this great screen, are texts from the battle writers of former history, and the story of the work. It is the only war correspondents’ memorial tu the world. The cost was about $5,500. Newspaper proprietors bankers, public men and writers among them Henry M. Stanley, contributed. The’ design was furnished by John M. Smithmeyer and the build¬ er was Daniel Webster 'Martin of Yarrowsburg, Washington County. Governor Lloyd Lowndes ded¬ icated the monument, October 16, 1896, and the Secretary of War sent buglers to assist. This struc¬ ture is efficiently supported by the fine stone houses of the ex-correspondent, who also reported the Austro- Prussian war of 1SC6. Mr. Townsend’s father was a native of Worcester, or Somerset County, Maryland, among the scenes of his son’s novel the “Entailed Hat,” and a vault in the rear of Gapland has an inscription to his parents. Various markers of the action of 1862. sur¬ round the Correspondents’ Memorial, that to the New Jersey brigade, a cenotaph, having cost $1,000. 332 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Willed to stretch as far as the could see; and from the tops of the mountains doivn to the edges of the stream gathered the great army of McClellan, ninety thousand strong. It was an aw-inspirng spectacle as this grand force settled clown in sight of the Confederates, then shattered by battles and scattered by long and tiresome marches.” The headquarters of (ten. McClellan was in the farm house of Sir. Philip Pry, on the top of the ridge on the east side of the Antietam, on the Keedysville road. On Elk Ridge, a spur of the mountain last of the Antietam, a signal station was placed, which commanded every portion of flti Iteld. In the Federal disposition of troops, Burn¬ side vas on the extreme left of the line of battle, confronting Toombs at Burnside’s Bridge; Hooker, Hu inner and Mansfield were on the right , con¬ fronting Jackson from the “Sunken road” or “Moody lane” on past the Dunker Church. Dou¬ bleday opposed the Confederate cavalry near [h| river, and repulsed Stewart when he attempted a flank movement around the Federal right. Fitz John Porter, with a large body of troops, was held in reserve on the Keedysville road, near the headquarters of McClellan, at a place called Por- Thus the battle was in array, the opposing lines five miles long. The crop of wheat which had covered the fields How overrun by men intent upon the work of destruction, had been harvested. Some little had been threshed, hut most df it was still in the ricks at the barns. Nearly all this was burned by bursting shells, or so filled with unexploded shells that it was afterwards only handled at the risk of life. Many of the field® were spilling with a waving crop of corn. After forty-five years, tlti? physical features of the held of battle have been greatly changed by the clew¬ ing away of woods. There was a heavy growth of timber along the Hagerstown road Up to and sur¬ rounding the Dunker Church. The body of tim¬ ber on the same pike near the old toll'gate, and to the east of it where Mansfield was placed, was much larger. But otherwise, the field today is much as it was during the storm of shot and Midi in September, 18(52. The division of the fields and the location of fences, loads and bridges is aJmo.-t unchanged. The hundreds of bullet holes in the fences along the pike showed that the same rails and posts were in many places doing service 30 years after the war. Several of the most gfflispi«*us buildings in Sharpsburg including the old Lutheran and Epis¬ copal Churches were greatly damaged by cannon halls. All these marks have disappeared. The little Dunkard Church, which was so shattered that people could ride on horseback through the breaches in its walls, has been repaired and painted so that all marks of the injuries it received have been obliterated. A few oaks surround it, and these are scarred with the marks of bullets and for thirty years people searched for minnie balls under them, and seldom were disappointed of finding what they sought. The contending armies facing each other on the field of Antietam were strangely different in equipment. The Confederates had the choice and the advantage of position, although had tjrcv been routed there would have been nothing to save them from being driven into the Potomac, which enclosed them from extreme right to ex¬ treme left. Behind them, it was reinforced by the canal. There was no ford, and the banks were rough and precipitous. The only avenue of escape was Blackford’s ford, a mile below Shepherds- town on their right, and for a brief time during the battle they were forced so far back by Burn¬ side with his 14,000 men that this avenue was Mused, and it was only by the timely arrival of A. P. Hill with his men from Harper’s Ferry that Burnside was pressed back, and the total destruc¬ tion of Lee and his army averted. Just before nightfall of the 16th of Septem¬ ber, Hood's division, away on the left, was at¬ tacked. But the Federal? were driven back, and the two armies vein to sleep, knowing what was coming in the morning, and that many a brave fellow had seen the sun set for the last time.. It is no part of my plan to give a complete and detailed story of this great battle. That has already lieen done by many aide pens. All 1 can hope to do is to give a meagre and imperfect out¬ line. The Confederates, having the choice of po¬ sition placed themselves a little behind the highest ridge of the field, which somewhat overtopped the Federal position, and afforded them some sort of protection. The position of the Federals on the eve of the battle was along the high ridge to the east of fir Antietam affording an excellent posi¬ tion for artillery practice. This position, together with the superiority of guns and ammunition, gave the Federal side a great advantage in the ensuing artillery duel. Lee's Headquarters Gen. McClellan’s Headquarters at the Battle of Antietam Residence of D. G. Kefauver. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 335 The early morning of tlie 17th of September was saluted by a roar of cannon over the fields around S. MumnuTs house. Hooker, Sumner and Mansfield had concentrated and opened the battle by an attack upon Jackson’s men in the cornfield. In a short time the rattle of musketry was added to the din of the artillery, and the battle became fearful. The Confederate bayonets had been dis¬ covered rising above the tall and luxuriant corn, and in a wonderfully short time, the corn stalks had been leveled by the balls as completely as if they had been cut down with knives. The Con¬ federate line was overpowered, and retired across the Hagerstown pike to the woods around the Dunker Church, and the carnage was terrific. Just in front of the little church, to the east of the road, General Stark was killed and General Lawton -wounded. Then, on the other side, Mans¬ field was killed and Hooker wounded. Hood came to the assistance of Jackson and stayed the Federal onset, but the lost ground at this point was not regained at the end of the day; but all day long “the lines swayed back and forth as a cord exposed to the rushing currents.”* On the Federal left, Burnside, with 14,000 men was endeavoring to cross the bridge which has since borne his name. Opposed to him was Toombs with his brigade, posted on the bluff over¬ looking and commanding the bridge. At one o’clock in the afternoon the passage was effected and Toombs’ twelve hundred Confederates, after¬ wards supported by D. R. Jones with as many more, were being driven back and the Confederate right turned, thus givng Burnside command of the ford of the Potomac, Lee’s only possible avenue for escape. And thus did. Toombs by causing this long delay save the Southern Army for at the Very critical moment, up rode A. P. Hill with his men from Harper's Ferry, stayed Burnside’s ad¬ vance and drove him back to the Antietam. If Burnside had crossed the creek at an earlier hour or if A. P, Hill had arrived at a later hour, it is likely that Lee would have surrendered at An- teitam instead of Appomattox and that McClellan would have occupied Grant’s place in history. One of the Confederate movements of the day was an attempt to turn the Federal right. Jack- son sent Stuart with about 5,000 men to turn the right flank and attack the Federal line in thp rear, expecting to drive it into the Potomac. Walker was to attack the front as soon as Stuart’s guns should be heard in the rear; but he waited for hours, and the wished for sound never came. To Jackson’s great surprise, Stuart found the Federal right, resting on the Potomac which he thought was several miles to the southewest, being unaware of the great bend in the river at that point.* The most terrific slaughter was around the Dunker Church. This was the Confederate cen¬ tre which was during the whole morning the princi¬ pal point of attack. A short distance south of the, little church, a lane enters the pike at a right angle. It is worn down much below the surface of the surrounding fields. In this road was a por¬ tion of D. H. Hill’s division, and here they were attacked by French and Richardson and were mowed down in swathes. They retreated, but left the road piled with dead. In the cornfield ad¬ joining, French, of the attacking party, was mor¬ tally wounded. The road is known as “Bloody Lane.” When night closed in upon this dread¬ ful scene, it came welcome to the two opposing commanders. Neither side knew exactly how it fared with the other. The men threw themselves upon the ground and slept without waiting for sup¬ per, although they had fasted since daybreak. When the sun set, and the sullen roar of artillery ceased, 3,300 men lay dead upon the field and near¬ ly 17,000 more, grievously wounded. No human being who has never witnessed such a scene can picture in his mind the horror of that field. Four¬ teen dead bodies were counted lying,in a heap in the cornfield adjoining Bloody Lane; the whole field was dotted with the dead, single and in heaps, and the air was filled with the groans and the lamentations of the wounded and dying, calling for help and begging piteously for water. YVung boys in the delirium of pain were talking of homes and mothers. Dead and wounded horses added no inconsiderable element of horror. The sultry air was laden with the smoke of gunpowder and of the smouldering ruins of burnt houses and barns and straw piles. The fields were ploughed by cannon balls and strewed thick with -all manner of debris. Fences were demolished, and rails in splinters; the green corn blades were in shreds,, and trampled into the dust. The trees of the woods looked as if they had been threshed by a giant’s flail. One was garnished with the dead body of a Confederate sharp shooter lodged *Gen Lohgstreet in Century Magazine’June 1886. *Gen. Walker. 336 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD in its fork. Canteens, arms, cartridge boxes, knap¬ sacks were everywhere. The little Dunker Church was a ruin. Many of the conspicuous buildings in Sliarpsburg had suffered, and shells had fallen in the public square. The next day the hideousnesss of the sight was greatly increased. The dead bodies were fes¬ tering in the hot September sun, and the faces turned up to the sky were black and swollen. And when the soldiers were buried, many of them simply by having a little earth thrown over them, their projecting feet, faces, arms or here and there a head, formed a spectacle too horrible for any tongue or pen to describe. The stench became intolerable, and the air was almost darkened by vast numbers of vultures attracted to the place. In the rear of the lines during the battle the work of mercy was going on, to repair as far as possible the devil's work in the front. The Feder¬ al Hospital was established at Hoffman’s barn in the north-eastern portion of the field, and here the ambulances were unloading their freight of mang¬ led humanity all day long. People from Hagers¬ town, from the College of St. James, from the surrounding country, were there with food and lint and bandages. Many local physicians were there too and did good work in rescuing limbs from the saws of the army surgeons, whose sole treat¬ ment seemed to be amputation. Thus ended the battle of Antietam, one of the bloodies and fiercest of the war. Neither side knew which was the victor; both sides were willing to stop fighting, and when the tired soldiers threw themselves on the ground in exhausted slumber, there was no fear of an attack from the other side. All night long the infirmary corps were making the rounds of the field and gathering a rich har¬ vest of wounded. AH day long on the 18th the two armies faced each other. There was a tacit armistice, and men were busy burying the dead— such burial as it was—and the burying parties of the two armies worked side by side. At nightfall of the 18th the campfires of the Confederates gleamed all along the line as if the soldiers were intent upon cooking their suppers. But under cover of the darkness, the troops began to move down the road from Sharpsburg to Shepherdstown. All night long there was a stream of infantry, cav¬ alry, supply wagons, ambulances and artillery, moling across the river and into the little town of Shepherdstown on the Virginia bank. At day¬ light the great Confederate commander turned his horse’s head to the south and muttered “Thank God,” as he saw the last battery and the last ambulance of wounded of the tom and tatter¬ ed and weary remnant of his army enter the water of the Potomac. He had sat upon his horse all night long watching the passage, a worn and ex¬ hausted man. But he did not, even after the carnage and exhaustion of his army had been revealed to him, willingly abandon the field to his foes. Lieuten¬ ant-Colonel G. F. R. Henderson of the British Army, in his life of Jackson, after telling how the ranks of the Confederacy sank exhausted to slum¬ ber after the terrible work of that dreadful day, says: “From one indomitable heart the hope of vitory had not yet vanished. In the deep silence of the night, more oppressive than the stunning roar of battle, Lee, still mounted, stood on the highroad to the Potomac, and as general after general rode in wearily from the front, he asked quietly of each, Glow is it on your part of the line?’ Each told the same tale; their men were worn out; the enemy’s numbers were overwhelm¬ ing; there-was nothing left but to retreat across the Potomac before daylight. Even Jackson had no other counsel to offer. His report was not the less impressive for his quiet and respectful tone. He had had to contend, he said, against the heaviest odds he had ever met. Many of his di¬ visional and brigade commanders were dead or wounded and his loss had been severe. Hood, who came next, was quite unmanned. He exclaimed that he had no men left. ‘Great God,’ cried Lee, with an excitement he had not yet displayed, ‘where is the splendid division you had this morn¬ ing?’ ‘They arc lying on the field where you sent them,’ was the reply, ‘for few have straggled. My divison has been almost wiped out.’ After all had given their opinion, there was an appalling silence, which seemed io last several minutes, and then General Lee, arising erect in his stirrups said, ‘Gentlemen we will not cross the Potomac to-night. You will ff) to your respective commands; strengthen your lines; send two officers from each brigade towards the ford to collect your stragglers, and get them up. Many may come in. I have had the proper steps taken to collect all the men who are in the rear. If McClellan wants to fight in the morning, I will give him battle. Go!’” The next morning, with the full extent of the disaster before him, Lee did not change his mind until he had been convinced by an investigation OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 337 that the risk of another battle would he too great. The carnage had been so great within narrow lim¬ its that it is said that a Federal patrol passing into the cornfield believed that they had come upon a Confederate brigade asleep. But it was the sleep of death. The next morning Lee was still anxious to attack, believing that the Federal right flank which was resting on the northern sweep of the Potomac and canal could be turned. “During the morning/' writes General Stephen D. Lee, “a courier from headquarters came to my battalion of artillery with a message that the commander-in¬ chief wished to see me. I followed the courier and on meeting General Bee he said, “Col. Lee, I wish you to go with this courier to General Jack- son and say that I sent you to report to him.’ I replied, ‘General shall I take my batteries with me?’ ‘No, just say that I told you to report to him and he will tell you what he wants.’ I soon reached General Jackson. He was dismounted with but few persons round him. He said to me, ‘Col. Lee, I wish you to take a ride with me/ and I rode to the left of our lines with but one cour- rier, I think. We soon reached a considerable hill and dismounted. General Jackson said, ‘Let us go up this hill, and be careful not to expose your¬ self, for the Federal sharpshooters are not far off.” The hill bore evidence of fierce fight the day be¬ fore. Gen. Jackson said: ‘Colonel, I wish you to take your glasses and carefully examine the Federal line of battle.’ I did so, and saw a re¬ markably strong line of battle, with more troops than I knew General Lee had.”- Col. S. D. Lee had lost all his guns but 12. Gen. Jackson asked him if he could crush the Federal right with forty guns. Col. Lee asked permission to try. Jackson pressed his question as to whether it could be done with fifty guns, and finally wrung from him the opinion that it could not. Jackson -then ordered Colonel Lee to go to the commander-in-chief and tell him what had occurred. This he did. “I saw a shade come over General Lee’s face,” says Colonel Lee, “as he said, ‘Colonel, go and join your command.’ ” It was many years afterward that General Stephen D. Lee learned the meaning of these strange interviews. “It appears,” he said, “Gen¬ eral Lee had ordered Gen. Jackson on the evening of the 17tb to turn the enemy’s right and Jack- *Henderson’s Life of Stonewall Jackson. *Col. H. Kyd Douglas, a distinguished member son said it could not be done. It appears also from Stuart’s report and from the incident I re¬ late, that General Lee reiterated the order on the 18th and told Jackson to take fifty guns and crush the Federal right. Jackson having reported against such an attempt on the 17th, no doubt said that if an artillerist, in whom General Lee had confi¬ dence, would say that the Federal right could be crushed with fifty guns, he would make the at¬ tempt.” The Confederates remained in line of battle but during the day information came in which made retreat imperative.* Of the 57,000 men whom Lee had led into Maryland at White’s Ferry, 25,600 went back across the Potomac that night. The number kill¬ ed had been surprisingly small, 1,253 at Antietam, 311 at South Mountain. But 8,724 were report¬ ed as wounded in the two battles, and the remain¬ der of these were missing, many so reported were doubtless killed or dead from exhaustion. At An¬ tietam the Union Army lost in killed 2,108, wounded 9,549, missing 753.* When morning came, and the Federal Army- saw that the foe had escaped them, fifteen hundred men crossed the river in pursuit. A. P. Hill turn¬ ed on these, and swept them bodily into the river, many of them over the high cliff upon which the southern end of the abutment of the railroad bridge now rests. Lee had driven back the Army of the Potomac and that of Virginia to the point from which they had started in the spring and summer. He knew how demoralized these armies had become from repeated defeats, and he was fully aware of the scare which Pope’s disasters had occasioned at Washington. Mr. Lincoln was known to be very nervous for the safety of the capital. Lee felt that if he could but still further increase this fear of losing Washington, he might so retain the Fed¬ eral armies in its neighborhood as to free the northern districts of Virginia from all hostile oc¬ cupation dliring the autumn. His object was to keep McClellan’s forces far away from Richmond until winter had so destroyed the roads as to ren¬ der all field operations near that city practically impossible. Although a vast amount of valuable equip¬ ment and military stores had been taken by the Army of Northern Virginia from Pope, it was of Gen. Jackson’s staff wrote an interesting account of the Maryland campaign for the Century Maga¬ zine in June 1886. 338 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD still a very baclly-supplied army and- sadly in want of transport. Notwithstanding this fact Lee thought his best plan to accomplish the end he had in view was to invade Maryland, where the Southern cause had thousands of sympathizers, and by that operation keep the, war at a distance from Richmond. Lee had, however, it seems to me, underestimated tht revivifying influence which McClellan exerted over the Federal armies when again placed in actual command of them; nor did Maryland afford him the assistance he had expect¬ ed. He also miscalculated the time required for the capture of Harper’s Ferry—a misealfcul&tion which placed him in a position of real danger. An enterprising commander, not impressed as Mc¬ Clellan always was with the notion that his enemy was vastly stronger than he actually was, would then have pushed Lee very hard, indeed. McClel¬ lan, with Lee's plan of campaign in his pocket and the large force at his disposal, was in the position where a really great general would have destroyed an adversary who had crossed the Potomac and distributed his troops as Lee’s were on the 13th, 11th, 15th and 16th of September, 1862. The battles of South Mountain and Antietam proved to Lee that his army was not strong enough to carry out an aggressive campaign against the now united armies of the North. From the mo¬ ment that McClellan had restored confidence to the Northern army and, thanks to the captured dis¬ patch, had made up his mind to act, it was ob¬ viously Lee's policy to avoid fighting as much as possible and recross into ATrginia. Antietam, though a battle unwittingly fought by him, was, however, unavoidable. It is necessary to estimate a genefal’s purposes in judging what he has gain¬ ed or lost by a battle. That the actual result on the battle-field was a Confederate victory seems to be little disputed. Lee had gained what he had hoped to secure: by that battle, which was to make good his repassage of the Potomac. The Confed¬ erate army had won a bat tile, but had achieved no victory, whilst the Confederacy had failed in its intention to carry the war into the enemy's coun¬ try. Colonel Kyd Douglas states the case very fairly when he says: “The prestige of the day was with Lee; but when, on the night of the 18th, he refira&sed into Virginia, he left the prestige of the result with McClellan.” Let‘% management of the battle against vastly superior fo,fees was wonderfully successful. His retreat afterwards was as wise and necessary as it was admirably conducted. It is only for school¬ boys that retreat under such circumstances can be said to take anything from the prestige of men like Lee. He was soon to show, against generals who, as McClellan put it, “acted before they were ready," how brilliantly he could deal with the op¬ portunities victory gave him, as well as with cir¬ cumstances which, as in this instance, made it necessary to prepare the way for retreat.— Gen. Sir Gdrnet Wolseley in the North American Re- Shortly after the battle, the Hon. A. AV. Bradford, Governor of Maryland, with his staff and eighteen surgeons, visited the battlefield and the hospitals, the surgeons volunteering to remain to help with the wounded. Upon his return to Annapolis, the Governor issued an address thank¬ ing the Marylanders under McClellan for then- patriotism and also expressing in behalf of the State acknowledgments to Gen. McClellan and Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania. On October 1, President Lincoln arrived at Sharpsburg to visit General McClellan, who was still encamped on the field of battle. The Pres¬ ident was accompanied by John W. Garrett, pres¬ ident of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, Mr. Ken¬ nedy superintendent of the census, Marshal La- moti of the District of Columbia, and others. They came on the railroad to Frederick, rode the twenty miles from that city to Sharpsburg in an army ambulance, and remained several days with Gen¬ eral McClellan, visiting the battle fields of An¬ tietam and South Mountain and many of the hos¬ pitals. While they were at Antietam an incident occurred which serves to illustrate the generous nature and humanity of President Lincoln, which is thus related by the war correspondent of a Northern paper who was present. "The President’s party passed a house in which was a large number of Confederate wound¬ ed. By request of the President the party alight¬ ed and entered the building. Mr. Lincoln after looking, remarked to the wounded Confederates that if they had no objection he would be pleased to take them by the hand. He said the solemn obligations which we owe to our country and posterity compel the prosecution of this war, and If fallowed that many were our enemies, through uncontrollable circumstances, and he bore them no malice and could take them by the hand with sym¬ pathy and good feeling. After a short silence the Confederates came forward and each silently but OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 339 fervently shook the hand of the President. Mr. Lincoln and Gen. McClellan then walked forward by the side of those who were wounded too severely to be able to arise and bade them be of good cheer, assuring them that every possible care should be bestowed upon them to ameliorate their condition. It was a moving scene, and there was not a dry eye in the building, either among the Nationals or Confederates. Both the President and Gen. McClellan were kind in their remarks and treatment of the rebel sufferers during this remarkable interview.” After the battles, all the southeastern portion of the County, including Hagerstown, was filled with wounded. There were large hospitals here and there, and many private houses contained wounded men. Immediately after the battle, churches and public buildings in the vicinity were all occupied. The day after South Mountain there were four large hospitals in Boonsboro' containing, as all did, Federal and Confederate wounded lying side by side. In December, all the Confederates had been removed and there were still twelve thousand wounded in the County. The women of the County were unremitting in their care and attention in supplying food suited to the condition of the sick and wounded, and which the Government could not furnish. No one was more conspicuous in ministering to the physical and spirtual wants of the wounded than the Rev. Dr. J. B. Kerfoot, the President of the College of St. James, and the Rev. Henry Edwards, Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hagerstown. For the time, the latter held a commission as army chaplain. The largest and most important of the hospitals' was that at Smoketown, in the woods near the Hagerstown and Sharpsburg turn¬ pike and on the northern edge of the Antietam battle-field. It was in charge of Surgeon Vander- kieft of the regular army. This hospital consist¬ ed of a village of tents. It was found that, even in the winter, the patients in tents fared better and recovered more rapidly than those in house hospitals. The roar of the guns from South Mountain battle caused great excitement in Hagerstown and many of the people went out to see the battle. The town at the time was in possession of the Confederates. Gen. Toombs was encamped at John Heyser’s place on the Williamsport pike at the edge of town. During the Southern occupa¬ tion this time, as at other times, many of the Union people tied to Pennsylvania leaving their property to the care of their secessionist friends. On the day of the Antietam battle, the roar of artillery was heard very loud in Hagerstown. Supplies were carried for the wounded by many charitable people. Among those who went carry¬ ing a quantity of wine and biscuits were Matthew S. Barber and J. Dixon Roman. At Lappans Cross Roads, they found a number of Confederate soldiers, faint and broken down, by the roadside. To these they ministered. At that point the roar of the battle seemed so close that they moved east on the Boonsboro road. At St. Mark’s Church they encountered a federal picket who was induced by the gift of a bottle of wine to let them pass, and they reached Boonsboro and wit¬ nessed the bringing in of numbers of wounded from the field of battle, filling all the halls and churches. There they distributed their supplies and witnessed the ghastly work of the surgeons with their knives and saws. An incident at the battle of Antietam which is worthy of mention was told by the Hon. Elihu Root, secretary of war, at the dedication of the Maryland monument at Antietam on May 30, 1900. There were present on that occasion Wil¬ liam McKinley, President of the United States, with six of his Cabinet officers; General James Longstreet, General Joseph Wheeler, Geo. B. Mc¬ Clellan, Jr., Admiral Melville, Gen. Jno. R. Brooke, Senators Daniel, of Virginia and Lodge of Mas¬ sachusetts, John Walter Smith, Governor of Mary¬ land, Henry Kyd Douglas, of Stonewall Jackson's staff, and other distinguished citizens. In his speech accepting the monument presented by the Governor of Maryland, the Secretary of War said: “Over yonder, near the bridge, was the Twen¬ ty-third Ohio regiment. Miles away at the rear was the commissary sergeant, a lad of IS years.. He realized that his regiment would be fainting and weary for want of food, so without orders, compelled by no soldierly duty, he - loaded his wagons and called for volunteer drivers. From the rear to the front they drove, braving death every instant and brought the reinforcement of food which enabled the regiment to go on fighting. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, afterward President of . the United States, commanded the regiment and on the field recommended that Commissary Ser¬ geant for ~a commission. The commission came on account of his gallantry in action—-to William McKinley, now President of the United States.” 340 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Another incident has a personal interest. Some days after the battle, as Mrs. Howard Ken¬ nedy- stood in front of her residence at the corner of Washington and Prospect streets, in Hagers¬ town, watching soldiers and others passing by to take the train for the North, she observed a young Federal officer, a mere boy, almost staggering along, with his neck bandaged and evidently ex¬ tremely weak. Mrs. Kennedy’s kind heart was touched, and she sent one of her sons to bring the young man into the house. She kept him there for weeks, and nursed him carefully until he was strong enough to travel, and then he re¬ sumed Ms journey to the North. The young man proved to be Capt. Oliver Wendell Holmes, son of the poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and now a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He had gone into the army with the rank of lieutenant, had been desperately wounded at one of the early battles along the Potomac, was pro¬ moted for bravery, and at Antietam was shot through the neck. Hearing of the young captain’s wound, his distinguished father started out on a search for him, hardly hoping to recover more than his dead body. He went by rail to Balti¬ more, searched the hospitals there, then made his way to Frederick, making inquires as he went. From Frederick he went in a wagon through Middletown to Antietam battlefield, stopping at each hospital and going from cot to cot hoping in each one to find his missing son. Finally, at Keedysville, he got tidings. The wounded cap¬ tain, he was told, was at the house of Mrs. Line. He went there overjoyed, only to learn that the son had just left in an ambulance for Hagers¬ town. Assuming then that he had gone there to take the cars for Philadelphia, where there was a friend who had nursed him when wounded be¬ fore, instead of following up his son to Hagers¬ town, Dr. Holmes returned to Philadelphia through Baltimore to meet disappointment again. Nothing had been heard from him. Then he went to Harrisburg, and after long waiting and tele¬ graphing learned that his son was safe at Mrs. Kennedy’s. Shortly thereafter they met in Harris¬ burg. For nearly a month after the battle of An¬ tietam the army of the Potomac remained inactive. It was not until the 2Gth of October that Mc¬ Clellan began his second advance from the Poto¬ mac into Virginia. In the jneantimo, while Ha¬ gerstown was occupied with Federal troops and people in the southern and southeastern portions of the County were engaged in caring for the sick and wounded who had been left from Lae battles of South Mountain and Antietam, the loyal people of Washington County and of Southern Pennsylvania were thrown into a panic by Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart’s cavalry raid. On October 8, Gen. Lee issued from Ms head¬ quarters in camp near Winchester an order to this officer to form a detachment of from twelve hun¬ dred to fifteen hundred ivell mounted men, and make an expedition into Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania to destroy railroad bridges, inter¬ rupt transportation and inflict all possible dam¬ age upon the enemy. In pursuance of his orders, Gen. Stuart started the next day, October 9, 1862, with 1,800 men and four pieces of horse artillery, under command of Gen. Wade Hampton and Cols. W. H. F. Lee and Jones. He crossed the Potomac at McCoy’s Ferry above Williamsport. The party reached the Western turnpike a short distance north from the Ferry about an hour after six regiments of Ohio troops had passed along, en- route through Cumberland to West Virginia. The Confederates here captured a Federal signal party and several prisoners whom they had taken. From these the Confederates gathered much serviceable information as to the position of their enemies. Gen. Stuart was anxious to reach Hagerstown to get the large government stores which he had been informed were in that town. But the Fed¬ eral forces in the town and within easy reach of it, were too strong to make such an attempt pru¬ dent, and so the Confederates crossed the National road, and went forward to Mercersburg. From there they went to Chambersburg reaching there after dark in the rain. The town was summoned to surrender but all the officials had fled and there was no one with whom to treat. So Chambersburg was occupied and Gen. Hampton made Military Governor. In Chambersburg the railroad and Government property including a large store of small arms were destroyed. Many horses were taken,the quartermaster giving a regular certifi¬ cate of seizure for each one so that the despoiled owner would have evidence of his loss to present to the United States Government. Washington County suffered but little beyond fright, from this raid as the Confederates were in the County only a few hours, returning to Virginia through Frederick County. While this expedition was in progress, the OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAKYLAND. 341 Confederates destroyed the track of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad from Harper’s Ferry almost to North Mountain, a distance of 35 miles. On the morning after the battle of Antietam, the Mary¬ land brigade under command of Gen. John B. Kenly, left Baltimore for Hagerstown, which it reached on October 30. It marched at once to¬ ward Williamsport, to reinforce the'Pennsylvania militia who were stationed near that town. After a skirmish with Confederate cavalry which re¬ treated across the river, Gen. Kenly occupied' Wil¬ liamsport the next day. The Confederate cavairy had crossed the river at Williamsport on Sep tember 19, and had advanced almost half way to Hagerstown where there were large Government stores. The Pennsylvanians, who alone interposed between these stores and the Confederates were raw militia and but for the timely arrival of the Marylanders under Kenly the stores would prob¬ ably have been destroyed either by the Confed¬ erates or by the Federals to prevent their falling into the hands of the invaders. One of the storm centres in Washington County during the war was the College of St. James. This institution had been founded a doz¬ en years before the war broke out at Fountain Bock, the old Manor House of Conococheague Manor. It was the Diocesan School of the Episco¬ pal Church in Maryland. It was at once success¬ ful. But at that time Hagerstown was inacces¬ sible, except for one railroad, and that from tne North; while almost the entire patronage of the college was from Baltimore and the South. It had therefore been determined to remove the school to Baltimore County. A considerable sum of money had been gathered, and the erection of a fine building had begun. The war ended this plan and ended the school as a college. While nearly all the students were from the South, the President, the Bev. John B. Kerfoot, and nearly all the teachers, were from the North. But Dr. Kerfoot, while uncompromising in his loyalty to the Union, was a man of generous dispo¬ sition and infinite tact, and he so managed the young Southerners as to retain their love and re¬ spect and to keep them from dangerous indiscre¬ tions, to which all were prone in those exciting times. It was remarked that most of the South¬ ern boys were at first opposed to secession, but that did not in any way diminish their loyalty to their several States after secession had taken place. Dr. Kerfoot declared that the most extreme se¬ cessionists among the students were those from Maryland, and he marveled at this because he knew that the parents of nearly all of them were loyal to the Union. The matron at the College at the time was Mrs. Porter, mother of the distinguished Federal officer, Fitz-John Porter, then a major in the regular army. Mrs. Porter’s grandson, Lucian Porter Waddell was a member of the corps of instructors in the college. Gen. Porter was m the neighborhood when the first troops arrived at the college and he was frequently there to visit his mother. His presence was a great advantage and protection to the place. Two months after the nineteenth of April riot in Baltimore, namely on June 15, 4,000 Pennsylvania volunteers under Clin. Williams arrived at the College and encamp¬ ed in the field below the spring. Gen. Porter had promised that the encampment should not be so close and later, he came and had the camp re¬ moved. While it was there, the grounds had been overrun with soldiers who were rough fellows from mines and furnaces, but they respected the rights of property, and were guilty of no single act of lawlessness except that they compelled the college authorities to display a flag, which they were en¬ tirely willing to do. While the soldiers were at the college it was a time of great anxiety to Dr. Kerfoot, fearing that the Southern boys would get in trouble by indiscreet talk. But nothing untoward occurred. When the college closed in June, 1861, there were about 175 students. At the beginning of the next session, October 1861 only sixteen returned. Later, the number increased to between forty and fifty. Most of those who failed to return had entered the Southern Army, and many of that number had fought their last battle long before the war closed. An incident that occurred in the College Chapel during this session serves to illustrate a matter which gave trouble to the Episcopal Church in Maryland all through the war. The Bishop of the Diocese, the Bt. Bev. Wm. B. Whittingham, was a Northern man. He believed that the at¬ titude of the South was rebellion, and that re¬ bellion was a moral as well as a political crime. The great body of his clergy were opposed to this view and were secessionists. With them, there¬ fore, he was constantly at odds. He appointed days of fasting which many of his flock refused to observe. He sent out prayers which some of his 312 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD clergy denounced as political prayers, and refused to use. The use of the prayer for “the President of the United States and all others in authority,’’ was general although many members of the var¬ ious congregations would solemnly arise from their knees while it was being said. One Sunday, be¬ fore the Antietam battle when Hagerstown was occupied by the Confederate Army, a large num¬ ber of the officers and men attended the services at St. John’s Episcopal Church. While the church was full of gray uniform-, the Rector, the Rev. Henry Edwards, a Northerner and a strong Union man prayed for the President of the United States as earnestly as aforetime. Some thought he would omit the prayer that Sunday, but these did not know the man. A majority of the congregation of this church were secessionists, and the politics of the Rector led to serious differ¬ ences between them, which finally culminated when the church bell was rung upon the coining of the news of Lee’s surrender. The people jump¬ ed to the conclusion that it was rung by the order of the Rector, but it was afterwards shown that he knew nothing of it. Early in 1862, Bishop Whittinsham had or¬ dered a prayer of thanksgiving for a Federal vic¬ tory to oe said in the churches. When Dr. Ker- foot read this prayer in the College Chapel, eigh teen of the young men rose and left the chapel in a body. Dr. Kerfoot met the crisis with con- sumate act, making a brief address to the boys that day at dinner, which produced a letter from them disclaiming any disrespect to him or the college authorites. Thereupon Dr. Kerfoot wrote to Bishop Whittingham, urging that no more prayers should be required which the congregations could not or would not use. On July 9, 1862 the last public commencement at the College was held. All through the summer there were alarms and on Sunday, September 14, the sounds of the battle of South Mountain reach¬ ed the College. The next day Confederate Artil¬ lerymen formed across the Boonsboro road a mile southeast of the College; and about 2,500 or 3,000 passed through the College grounds from the bat¬ tlefield. Mrs. Kerfoot and others stood all day on the front steps of the College, supplying cold water, food and bandages to the wounded soldiers who passed by. This fact illustrates the spirit of humanity in these Northern people. On Tues¬ day, the second day after the battle, Dr. Kerfoot and one of his assistants, the Rev. Dr. Falk, in company with the Rev. Henry Edwards, Rector of St. John’s Parish, Hagerstown, went to South Mountain, carrying quantities of biscuits, spirits, bandages and tobacco. As they went, there was sound of firing, and they encountered Confederate pickets a mile from Keedysville. At Boonsboro’ they found four hospitals full of Confederate wounded. Among the occupants of these hospit¬ als the clergymen distributed their supplies, ar¬ ranged a committee of supplies of both political parties, and then went to the crest of the moun¬ tain the scene of Sunday’s battle, There their eyes were greeted with fearful sights. The Con¬ federate dead were lying unburied. A cabin was crowded with fearfully wounded men and outside and around were forty more, with scores of dead bodies. Among the dead bodies they discovered that of Col. j. B. Strange of Virginia and it was pointed out to a Confederate chaplain, who was searching for it. The next day, Wednesday, September 17, 1862, came the sounds of the battle of Antietam. A party went to the roof of the College, watching the smoke of the battle and heard more than a hundred peals of artillery a minute. Dr. Kerfoot and Dr. Falk went in the afternoon with more supplies for the wounded which they distributed to the inmates of the hospitals three miles north of Sharpsburg near the Smoketown road, and then continued up almost to the batteries and amidst the deafening roar of cannon, and watched the havoc of actual war. Again the next day these two good men carried provisions to the wounded, and this time saw the death and desolation of the great battle. The field was still strewn thick with corpses, but the sight did not impress Dr. Kerfoot as being as horrible as what he saw at South Mountain. The slaughter was vastly greater, but the dead were scattered over a wider space. The next Sunday, September 24, Dr. Kerfoot visited the headquarters of Major Gen. Fitz John Porter, a mile southwest of Sharpsburg where he read the service and preached. Then he went to Gen. Mc¬ Clellan’s headquarters, at that time three miles south of Sharpsburg, and read evening prayeTs and preached. Of Gen. McClellan Dr. Kerfoot wrote at the time: “Saw much of Gen. McClellan. He is a deeply devout, believing man.” On November 12, the College re-opened for the twentyr-first year, with twenty-four hoys, which number increased to thirty-nine before Christmas. All through the fall and winter, Dr. Kerfoot con- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 343 tinued his visits to the Smoketown hospital and held occasional services in a chapel made of several tents opening into each other. The first movement toward gathering the Federal dead from the temporary graves in which they had been placed immediately after the battle, was started in the Maryland Senate, eighteen months after the battle by Lewis P. Fiepy the Sen¬ ator from Washington County. At the session of 1864, he introduced a resolution to appoint a com¬ mittee “to inquire into the expediency of pur¬ chasing on behalf of the State a portion of the battle-field at Antietam, not exceeding twenty acres, for the purpose of a State and National cemetery, in which the bodies of our heroes who fell in that great struggle and are now bleaching in the upturned furrows may be gathered for a decent burial, and their memories embalmed in some suitable memorial.” On that committee were Governor Bradford, Robert Fowler, the Treasurer of the State, Gen. Ed. Shriver and Col. Harwood. They acted promptly; visited the field and secured an option on ten acres at $100 an acre. On March 10, 1864, the General Assembly appropriated $5,- 000 for buying the land and enclosing it. It was provided that a portion of the lot should be set aside for the burial of Southern soldiers who fell at Antietam. But there was a defect in the title, and nothing more was done until the next session, that of 1865, when another act was passed incor¬ porating the Cemetery Company. Dr. Augustine A. Biggs of Sharpsburg, Thomas A. Boullt, of Hagerstown, Edward Shriver, of Frederick, and Charles C. Fulton, of Baltimore, were named trus¬ tees on behalf of Maryland and they were to hold the property in trust for Maryland and the other States contributing to the cemetery. Maryland contributed in all $15,000, and con¬ tributions were made by other States to the amount of $47,229.77. The States contributing this sum were New York, Indiana, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hamp¬ shire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan. The work of enclosure and improve¬ ment was done largely under the direction of Dr. Biggs. The plan of having both the Federal and Confederate dead buried in the same enclosure was abandoned, and the bones of the latter were excluded. In 1870, the legislature appropriated $5,000 to provide a burial place for these and they were afterwards gathered into Rose Hill Cem¬ etery at Hagerstown. In the act incorporating Antietam Cemetery it was provided that there should be buried therein the remains of all soldiers who fell at the battle of Antietam, or at any other points north of the Potomac during the invasion of 1862. Later, this was modified so as to provide for the burial at Antietam of all soldiers who fell and had been buried in the counties of Frederick, Washington and Allegany. The work of removing the re¬ mains to Antietam began in October, 1866, and was done by the United States Burial Corps de¬ tailed by the United States under command of Lieut. John W. Sherer. All the work had been completed by September 1867, just five years after the battle. The whole number of soldiers resting in this beautiful and commanding field is 4,667, most of whom were identified and have their names and commands upon the gravestones above them which were furnished by the Federal Government. The dedication of the cemetery took place September 17, 1867 the fifth anniversary of the battle and on that occasion, the corner stone for the beautiful monument which now stands in the centre of the lot was laid with Masonic rites. There was a great assemblage to witness the cere¬ monies. Andrew Johnson, the President of the United States, was there with the members of his cabinet. The representatives at Washington of half the countries of Europe and of Mexico and some of the South American republics, were also there. Thomas Swann, Governor of Marj’land, the Mayor of Baltimore and a great number of dis¬ tinguished soldiers were in the assemblage. The monument upon the corner stone laid that day was unveiled on September 17, 1880. This monument is of granite 54 feet and 7 inches in height. It is the figure of a private soldier, stand¬ ing at parade rest; he seems to be keeping guard over the bodies of dead comrades. It is indeed a magnificent and impressive work of art. The in¬ scription is brief and simple: “Not for the m selves but for their Country—Sept. If, 1862.” The fig¬ ure is 21 feet 6 inches high and the pedestal 33 feet 1 inch. The figure was on exhibition in Phil¬ adelphia at the Centennial Exposition in 1876. The artist was James G. Batterson of Hartford, Connecticut, and the entire cost was $35,000. In 1877 the cemetery was transferred to the United States, t apt. W. A. Donaldson was the first 344 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD superintendent. There were many notable gather¬ ings in the cemetery and many distinguished men have visited it upon various occasions. On Dec¬ oration day May 1885, Gen. George B. McClellan was the orator of the day. and made a great speech, full of the spirit of peace and reunion. He was the guest, while in Washington County of Gen. Henry Ivyd Douglas, a Confederate veteran. After passing into the hands of the Federal go\ eminent the cemetery was greatly beautified. Louis E. McComas, representative in Congress for the district, secured an appropriation for con¬ structing a fine road from Antietam Station on the Norfolk & Western railroad; and the office of su¬ perintendent of the battlefield was created, ana filled by Charles W. Adams. A battlefield com¬ mission, consisting of officers of both sides, was appointed; and to them was committed the work of designating the positions on the field of the various organizations. These have all been marked by iron plates, moulded with the proper inscrip¬ tions, and painted. Roads have been made through the field and the scene of the great battle is now studded with monuments erected by various States and regiments which took part in the fight. Some of these are costly and of great artistic merit; some ponderous and substantial. In 1898, the General Assembly of Maryland enacted a law, Chapter 294 of the Acts of that year, appropriating $12,500 for a monument on the field of Antietam to the Maryland soldiers of both armies who fell there. The Governor was authorized to appoint a commission of nine persons, six of whom served in the Union Army at An¬ tietam battle and three in the Confederate army. It was made the duty of this commission to co-oper¬ ate with the Antietam Battlefield Board in ascer¬ taining and marking the positions of Maryland troops in the battle. Under authority of this act, Governor Lloyd Lowndes appointed the following commission: Col. B. F. Taylor, of Baltimore County, Pres¬ ident; William II. Parker, Osmund Lalrobc, Jos¬ eph M. Sudsburg* George R. Graham, of Baltimore City; William Gibson, of Washington; Henry Kyd Douglas, of Washington County, and Theo¬ dore J. Vanneman, of Cecil. The monument was dedicated on Decoration Day, 1900. President McKinley, the Secretary of War, Elihu Root and other Cabinet Officers, the Governor of Maryland, Gen. James Longstrect, Gen. Joseph Wheeler, officers of the Hailed Stales Army and Navy, the Maryland National Guard and the Battlefield Commission, besides an im¬ mense gathering of citizens, were present. Gen. Henry Kyd Douglas of the Battlefield Commission presided. Speeches were made by the President, who won his commission at the battle; by Gover¬ nor Smith, by Gen. Longstreet, Gen. Wheeler, Sen¬ ator Daniel, of Virginia; Gen. Douglas and others. The monument is in the form of a temple, and stands at the intersection of the Sharpsburg pike and the Smoketown road, opposite the Dunkard Church. The purpose of having the dead of both ar¬ mies buried in the Antietam Cemetery having been defeated the bones of the Confederate dead lay neg¬ lected in the furrows where they had been hastily covered up on the day of the battle, for ten years, until it became a public shame. All identification was lost and from time to time, skeletons were turned up by the plow. In 1870, the first session of the Legislature after the final decision to ex¬ clude them from the Antietam Cemetery, the mat¬ ter was taken up and provision made for the decent burial of the bones of these dead soldiers, many of whom were sons of Maryland. The sum of $5,000 was appropriated and the Governor was authorized to appoint trustees Lo have custody of the money and have the work done. Governor Bowie named Henry Kyd Douglas and George Freaner of Washington County and Janies II. Gambrill of Frederick. Sums w T ere contributed by the States of Virginia and West Virginia. The trustees w r ent promptly to work and purchased a portion of Rose Hill Cemetery at Hagerstown, which they ornamented with a fine monument, and called their reservation, "Washington Cemetery.” In September 1872 the work of removing the bones of the Confederate soldiers to the cemetery began. All that had been temporarily interred at Antietam and South Mountain were speedily gathered and reinterred in Washington Cemetery which was dedicated on the 15th of June 1877. At this dedication there was a great gathering of people and Gen. Fitzhugh Lee of the Confeder¬ ate Army was the orator of the day. The monu¬ ment which stands facing the mounds under which the dead are buried is a marble figure of Hope leaning upon an anchor, and is placed upon a lofty pedestal of Scotch granite. The inscription upon the front is as follows: “The State of Maryland has provided this cemetery and erected this monu- ":erit. to perpetuate the memory of the C'onfedrate OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 345 dead who fell in the battles of Antietam and South Mountain.” On the right side is inscribed, “The State of Virginia has contributed toward the bur¬ ial of her dead within this cemetery.” On the left side, “The State of West Virginia has contrib¬ uted to the burial of her dead within this ceme¬ tery.” On Confederate Decoration day, in June, each year, the good people of Hagerstown strew flowers upon these mounds. The names of those whose dust reposes beneath are not recorded. Rut their valor and devotion live in history. CHAPTER XXIII jp) T THE beginning of 1863 Hooker’s Army JDL was lying securely situated between the Rappahannock and the Potomac, threat¬ ening Richmond and defending Washing¬ ton. It was Lee’s plan of campaign to maneuver him out of his strong position and to bring him to battle in Pranklin or Adams County, Pennsyl¬ vania, transferring the seat of war into the enemy’s country and carrying his own army where subsist¬ ence could be obtained in abundance without dis¬ tressing his own people. A victory in Pennsyl¬ vania, he believed would cause the evacuation of Washington and would end Grant’s operations on the Mississippi. Accordingly at the beginning of June there was a general movement towards the Potomac. Lee’s Army at that time consisted of about 60,000 men, well equipped and flushed with victory. It was such an army as deemed itself unconquerable. Its discipiline was of the highest order and its equipment better perhaps than the army of Northern Virginia possessed before or af¬ terwards. On June 3, Longstreet was ordered to move toward Culpepper. Ewell followed at the head of Jackson’s old troops. A. P. Hill was left with one corps between Hooker and Richmond. Ewell went forward to drive Milroy out of the valley. On the 14th of June he encountered him at Winchester and captured a large number of prisoners, Milroy-retiring towards Harper’s Ferry and leaving the valley free from Northern troops. On the 16th of June a brigade of Confederate cav¬ alry under Gen. Jenkins reached Chambersburg having crossed at Williamsport the' day before; Ewell next crossed the Potomac,; Longstreet follow¬ ed and Hill joined in the movement after the Ar¬ my of the Potomac had moved northward. By the Pith of June the Confederate line of march extended from Culpepper County, Virginia, all the way to Chambersburg, Pa. Ewell had crossed the Potomac near Shepherdstown. One of his divis¬ ions had reached Hagerstown and was encamped there. Another division was bivouacked near Sharpsburg and the third was approaching Shep¬ herdstown from the South. Hill crossed at Shep¬ herdstown on the 18th and Longstreet crossed on June 2oth at Williamsport. Stuart’s Cavalry of 6,000 men was hovering along the wings of Hook¬ er’s army which was moving northward on a line parallel with Lee, crossing the Potomac east of the Blue Ridge into Frederick County. By the 27th Stuart had gotten to the east of the Federal army and crossed the Potomac at Seneca creek between Hooker and Washington. On June 28 four corps of the Army of the Potomac had con¬ centrated at Frederick and three were at Middle- town. At this time Hooker received an order from Washington relieving him from the command and putting Gen. George Meade at the head of the great army now charged with the work of de¬ fending the North from the invaders. And so it came to pass that in June 1863 the whole of Washington County was within the Confederate lines. In this forward movement the discipline of Lee’s army was admirable, there were no dep¬ redations upon private property and any individual outrages were severely punished. Indeed when Lee reached Chambersburg on June 27 he issued a general order from that town which contained the following: “It must be remembered that we make war only upon armed men and we cannot 348 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD take vengeance for the wrongs our people have sulIVred without lowering ourselves in the eyes of all whose abhorrence lias been excited by the atroc¬ ities of our enemies and offending against Him to Whom vengeance belongeth, without Whose favor and support our efforts must all prove vain." The passage of the Confederate Army through Hagerstown was a marvelous sight. They came through, a terrible army with banners. First came cavalry regiments from the Williamsport pike, then the artillery and infantry up the Sharpsburg pike, then more from Williamsport and large num¬ bers up the Boonsboro pike, converging at Hagers¬ town and marching in an almost endless procession straight up the turnpikes leading towards Pennsyl¬ vania. Thousands upon thousands were marching to death, never again to see their sunny .Southern land. Their banners were flying in the wind and hand after band came along playing “Dixie,” some “Maryland My Maryland,” some the “Bonnie Blue Flag” and many more “The Girl I Left Behind Mo.” Sixty thousand men with their supply trains, and two hundred cannon each drawn by a number of horses made a great procession and the rumble of the great wagons, the artillery and the ceaseless tramp—tramp of men and horses on the stone roads, resounded in the ears of the awe struck people of Hagerstown for days. For nearly two days Lee paused while his army was gathering in Hagerstown. His headquarters were on the Williamsport road near Halfway and here he planned, consulted with his generals and gathered information about the roads leading across the mountain to Adams County or straight towards Chambersburg. Some of the citizens of Hagers¬ town gave him information but he impressed upon them the danger they would incur after lie with¬ drew'. In all these movements there were no fed¬ eral troops lb make any opposition. Jenkins’ Cav¬ alry encountered none either in Creencastle nor Chambersburg and after gathering a great number of horses and c-attle from the Pennsylvania farm¬ ers which he paid for in Confederate script, he returned to Hagerstown on theeSDth of Juno and went into camp to await the general movement of the army. On June “7th Lee had left his head¬ quarters on the Williams]iort road and with his army he was in Chambersburg while detaelwnenls had gone as far as Carlisle and were threatening Harrisburg. Finally all the invading army left Washington County and there was a period of calm and sus¬ pense in Hagerstown. The town had been desert¬ ed by the most active of the Union people and those of both sides who remained felt that it was no time for petty faction or personal rancor., The fate of the great Republic was in the balance and no man knew what would come to pass. A few unconfirmed rumors came from time to time from Confederate stragglers but none placed reliance upon them. Finally on the first day of July a cloud appeared to the northeast and the next day there was a heavier cloud. But on July 3rd the cloud was densest of all. It is said that the sound of the guns engaged in the greatest artillery duel the world had ever seen, did not reach Hagers¬ town although it was heard in places far more dis¬ tant. Nevertheless the people of Hagerstown as they watched the cloud knew that under it a titanic struggle was in progress and that its issue was to decide whether there were to be two Republics in¬ stead of one. On July 4 the smoke rolled away but still no news that could be credited came and the town went to sleep that night in suspense and not knowing what had happened. Before day dawn on July 5, the roar and rum¬ ble of multitudes of wagons was heard in the streets and the people were startled from their beds. All day long they came. It was the supply train of Lee’s defeated army. The next morning the soldiers came, sadly reduced in numbers, bring¬ ing many of their wounded but leaving thousands of their dead buried in hostile soil. Lee’s Army had remained confronting Meade all the day after the battle caring for the wounded and burying the dead. Then he started his trains southward and leaving Ewell as a rear guard in front of Gettys¬ burg, he started on the morning, with his broken army back towards Virginia. Ewell, holding the position he did forced Meade to follow Lee hack by a more circuitous route on the east of the moun¬ tain. And so the two armies came south by par¬ allel lines just as they had gone north. The army of the Potomac came down east of South Mountain until Middletown on the great western road was reached. There Meade turned westward, follow¬ ing the turnpike through Turner’s Gap and Boons¬ boro where McClellan had passed along to the battle of Antietam. From Boonsboro a part of the army continued on the turnpike road almost to Hagerstown and a portion crossed the Antietam below Funkstown. Meade arrived in the vicinity of Hagerstown on July r„> and there found his enemy entrenched in an advantageous position con- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 349 fronting him. The belief at Washington was that Lee had been completely routed and was in dis¬ orderly retreat. Therefore peremptory orders were sent to Gen. Meade to complete the destruc¬ tion of the Confederate army and upon no account to permit it to escape across the Potomac. As usual after the great battles of the Civil War copious rains followed quick upon the battle of Gettysburg. The Potomac was swollen so that it could not be crossed. No bridges had been left and the fords were dangerous torrents. Therefore it was be¬ lieved that the Confederates were trapped—with the impassable river behind them and a superior and victorious army in front. It is likely that Meade received more censure for not capturing the army of Northern Virginia at Hagerstown than he received praise for his victory at Gettys¬ burg which saved the Union. But Lee had sent his engineers on in advance from Gettysburg to select a new line of battle covering the crossing of the Potomac at Williamsport. And when Meade arrived he had had six days to strengthen his po¬ sition. At Hagerstown Meade did not have in his army much more than 50,000 or 55,000 effective troops. In addition he had a large force of Penn¬ sylvania recruits and militiamen. If Lee had come from behind his breast works to give battle it is likely that Meade would have defeated him. But entrenched as the Southerners were it is en¬ tirely probable that Meade took the wisest course. If he had met defeat the results of the victory at Gettysburg might have been lost. On July 6 the Confederate Army had begun to arrive upon their retreat. Instead of passing through Hagerstown as they had gone North and as the supply wagons had done in coming South, the soldiers turned to the right as they neared Hagerstown and entrenched themselves in a strong position extending from a point on Frederick Bryan’s farm a mile northwest of Hagerstown, all the way to Falling Waters on the Potomac below Williamsport, a distance of 12 miles. Stretched along parallel with the Confederate entrenchments was the Army of the Potomac beginning not far from Funkstown turnpike road near Hagerstown and extending southward almost along the Sharps- burg road. Thus Hagerstown was between the ex¬ treme right wing of the Federal Army and the ex¬ treme left of the Confederates and the expected battle if it had occurred would probably have caused the destruction of the town. During the two days from the 12th to midnight of the 13th of July while the battle was in array there was intense excitement and anxiety among our people, not only in Hagerstown but in all the country south to Falling Waters. Each person expected the de¬ struction of his home but he did not know where to go lor safety. Gen. Meade had his headquarters in a farm house on the Funkstown road a short distance from Hagerstown and there he held his counei 1 of war to decide whether Lee should be immediately attacked. The decision was in the negative and the Army of the Potomac went to work to strengthen its position by cutting down trees and throwing up obstruction. The Confed¬ erates had also, in making their lines, destroyed a great deal of timber and many beautiful forests disappeared in those days. A large body of troops encamped on the fine farm of Dr. Thomas Maddox near Tiighmanton, beating down a luxuriant crop of corn and consuming the wheat which had just been harvested, for forage. Gen. Slocum pitched his tent in the yard and the splendid fertile land was for the time converted into a desert. It took years for the soil to recover from the injury. The house was occupied by a large number of surgeons, prepared for the work which they deemed was inevitable. The family was notified that they would have to leave in a short time but the final notice did not come. During the short occupa¬ tion everything in the shape of food quickly disap¬ peared leaving the family destitute and with no horse to bring supplies. This was the experience of many other families during this period of the war as well as before and afterwards. All the country lying between the two armies, as was that upon which the lines were situated were devasta¬ ted, crops destroyed, fencing burned or removed. Many were reduced to ruin and the renters, not owning the soil lost all they had. That General Lee expected Meade to attack him is shown by the general order which he issued at Hagerstown on July 11 in which he said to his army “once more you are called upon to meet the enemy from whom you won on so many fields, names that will never die.” In Hagerstown there was much disturbance and several citizens were killed. On July G a party of Confederates returning from Gettysburg encountered some Federal troops in North Poto¬ mac street and a skirmish took place. John F. Stemple ascended the roof of Marshall & Cran- well’s store to see the fight and was killed by a stray bullet. On Monday July 13, a fight took 350 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD place in the streets between Gen. Fitzpatrick's Cav¬ alry and a party ol Confederates. Andrew Hager- man a citizen joined in the tight agam-t the Con¬ federates and was killed. After the Confederate army crossed the Potomac a great number of Penn¬ sylvania militia encamped near the town. Tin* Washington House, the principal hotel in the town, and the Lyceum Hall were both used as hospitals. The first issue of the Herald and Torchlight whose proprietors had fled to Pennsylvania, af¬ ter the Gettysburg campaign, was on the r;d of July 1863. That paper gave some account of the exciting events which had occurred during the sus¬ pension of publication. Of the skirmish in Hag¬ erstown above referred to, it said: “Before our people had completely settled down after the entry of Stuart leading the rebel retreat on Monday the 6th, they were again aroused by the cry, "The Yan¬ kees are coming.’ About half past 1 o’clock the advance of Kilpatrick’s division appeared and formed in line of battle on the crest of the hill near Funkstown. Stuart seemed thunderstruck and wild hurry and bustle characterized all his movements. Approaching gradually line after line was formed until the advance of the Federal forces rested near Sir. A. Hager’s mill (about a mile from Hagerstown). From here, led by Capt. Snyder of the First Michigan Cavalry, a charge of mot more than 50 men was made about half pad two o’clock. Hastily advancing they met and re¬ ceived the lire of the enemy about 150 strong, post¬ ed on Potomac street jnpt where the road to Fred¬ erick breaks off to the left, and rushing on them, sal ire in hand, they drove the rebels pell mell up Potomac street to beyond the Reformed Church where the main body of the force rested. 'Here they fell back in an orderly manner to meet the skirmishers, deployed and, led forward by Capt. Dahlgren (son of Rear Admiral Dahlgren) of Kil¬ patrick’s staff, who advanced beyond'the town hall. Capt. Dahlgren was wounded in the right ankle bv a pistol ball fired from the Market I louse as he led the skirmishers up. The main column sv<4 soon deployed, part of them dismounted and put in ambuscade. and a general charge prepared for. In the meantime the rebel battery opened with shell which proved inefficient to mow or cheek the gradual advance of the fedefals. Elder’s bat¬ tery was quickly put in position on the north of the seminary and replied, while Gen. Custer with his brigade was sent to the right lo work to the enemy’s flank and rear. An ambuscade of the rebels on Grove’s farm a mile north of the town, being discovered, Kilpatrick made dispositions to attack it in the rear, while he led a charge of two regiments in person into the front of the main body of the rebels. All his arrangements were made; Gen. Custer had reached a position where he could attack the left flank of the enemy and Kilpatrick himself actually moving off to lead the charge when Custer, whose skirmishers had reached the Leiters- burg road in the rear of the rebel column, discov¬ ered the advance of a brigade of rebel infantry, the beginning of.the retreat of the shattered col¬ umns which Lee had so triumphantly led through an unarmed valley hut two weeks before and with which he was to conquer and bring back a treaty of peace. Thereupon Gen. Kilpatrick ordered his men to draw off gradually to go to the assistance of Bufort at Williamsport who was attacking the enemy’s trains. His loss was not over five killed and twenty wounded during this spirited skirmish. On his route to Williamsport he was pursued by cavalry and mounted infantry about 6000 strong, and there met and cut up at least 500 of their men with but slight loss, notwithstanding he was hem¬ med in between two columns, one of infantry and one' of cavalry and infantry mounted. KilpaL- rick’s Cavalry was on hand to attack the rear guard of the Confederates who crossed the Potomac at Failing Waters and inflicted much injury upon them. At the College of St. Janies there was a skir¬ mish on July 7 between the 9th N. A". Cavalry and a party of Confederates who advanced from Wil¬ liamsport. The next day the college was over¬ run by Confederates and all the supplies taken. The men were nearly famished and were importu¬ nate for food. (Vin federate batteries were placed in the college grounds. At noon on Julv 11 Lieut. Gen. A. F. Hill and Brig, Gen. Willcox went lo the college to warn Mrs. Porter, the mother of Fitz John Porter, who was the matron of the col¬ lege hi kSive at once and urged Dr. Kerfoot to take every woman and child awav. They haduio doubt a bailie would take place. Acting upon this advice Dr. Kerfoot took his family to Hagerstown. He was compelled to go by a circuitous route, for two miles of the way was along a line of Confeder- ■ 1 1 1 ‘ sharp shooters'. The two armies were exchanging desultory shots and the sound of bursting shells was audible. At night during those days their course through the air could he traced and it WitR u time of great and general anxiety. The SPANISH CANNON. This bronze cannon was made at Douai, France, in 1751, by Berenger, the great gun manufacturer, for the House of Burbons. It was later discovered in defense of Fort Morro, Santiago, Cuba. Upon surrender of Santiago, it was taken to Gov= ernor’s Island, N. Y. It was loaned to Hagerstown, and was mounted by S. M. Bloom to commemorate the patriotism and courage of all the volunteers from Wash= ington County who entered the Army and Navy of the U. S. in the Spanish-American War, 1897—1898. OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAKYLAND. 353 next clay, July 12, was Sunday. None of the Ha¬ gerstown churches were open and the day was one of feverish excitement. The United States Caval¬ ry advanced and drove the Confederates out of Hagerstown and around the town all day there was skirmishing. As soon as the Union forces occu¬ pied the town there was a great uproar by the Union people against the secessionists. On Tues¬ day July 14 when the people arose early in the morning and found that during the night the Con¬ federate army had crossed the river and that the Union army was in undisputed possession of Wash¬ ington County, the Union sentiment in Hagers¬ town broke out in a tumult. During the Confed¬ erate occupation many of the Union people had fled to Pennsylvania, some of the merchants carry¬ ing stocks of goods with them. Those that re¬ mained behind had suffered great loss from Con¬ federate soldiers and the secessionists had done little to protect them. On July 14 there was every indication that the Union people would do violent injury to the Southern sympathizers. That day the Christian ministers of the town, all of whom were strong Union men, went about among the people urging peace and moderation. They hastily printed and posted on the walls and bill boards of the town the following poster: TO THE LOYAL CITIZENS OF HAGEESTOWN. The undersigned having always avowed t kc-m- selves as hearty and thorough Unionists; as-men who from duty to their country and to them¬ selves, could allow no mistake on this point among their fellow citizens. As such they desire now, earnestly and respectfully to appeal to those with whom they may have any influence. The appeal is made to the hearts and consciences of Christian men in this community, who are thoroughly loyal to the United States. If you would win from God the triumph of law, the real and permanent restoration of order which we now. anticipate— obey the laws , rise superior to the passions of the hour, be kind and forbearing to those who differ from you, even to those who may have wronged you and your country. The open condemnation of the rebellion as a sin as well as a great folly, heartiest reprobation of real though unconfessed disaffection in any to their country’s cause in this crisis are consistent with words and deeds of kind¬ ness, forbearance and protection to individuals. Those in military and civil authority have the duty and right to prevent or 'punish the wrongs done to the country, to society or to individuals. But no unauthorized acts of violence nor any angry threats can be either right, wise or loyal. The charity which religion enjoins, the cause of the Union is strong enough to afford. As the teach¬ ers among you of religion, as'loyal fellow citizens, we humbly, earnestly adjure you, obey the laws and maintain the charity which others seem to you to reverence too little. JOHN B. KEKFOOT, Eector, Etc., College St. James. I-IENEY EDWARDS, Eector of St. John’s Parish. J. EVANS, Pastor of the Lutheran Church. J. II. WAGNEE, Pastor of the 1st Ger. Eef. Church. MALACHY MOEAN, E. C. P., W. C. STITT, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church. GEORGE SEIBEET, Pastor Second Ger. Eef. Church. H. B. WI N'PON, Pastor of the U. B. Church. GEOEGE W. HEYDE. Pastor M. E. Church. July 14, 1863. On July 1% Gen. Lee from his headquarters near Hagerstown wrote to Mrs. Lee: '‘You will learn before this reaches you that our success at Gettysburg was not so great as reported—in fact that we failed to drive the enemy from his posi¬ tion, and that our army withdrew to the Potomac. Had the river not unexpectedly risen, all. would have been well with us; but God in His all wise providence willed otherwise, and our communica¬ tions have been interrupted and almost cut off. The waters have subsided to about four feet, and, if they continue, by tomorrow, I hope, our com¬ munications will be open. I trust that a merciful God, our only hope and refuge will not desert us in this hour of need and will deliver us by His Almighty hand, that the whole world may recog¬ nize His power and all hearts be lifted up in ador¬ ation and praise of His unbounded loving kind¬ ness.”* On July 15 he wrote from Bunker Hill to Mrs. Lee: “The enemy, after centering his forces in our front, began to fortify himself in his ♦Recollections of Gen. Lee Toy R. E. Lee. 354 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD positioD and bring up his troops, militia, etc.—- and those around Washington and Alexandria. This gave him enormous odds. It also circum¬ scribed our limits for procuring subsistence for men and animals, which with the uncertain state of the river, rendered it-hazardous for us to con¬ tinue on the north side. It has been raining a great deal since we first crossed the Potomac, mak¬ ing the roads horrid and embarrassing our oper¬ ations. The night we recrossed it rained terribly, yet we got all over safe, save such vehicles as broke down on the road from the mud, rocks, etc. - ’* On the morning of July 14 when the people of Hagerstown arose from their beds they could see the Confederate flags flying above the in- trenchments and guns were showing above the embankments. But it was soon ascertained that the guns were logs of wood and that every Confed¬ erate soldier and every wagon and piecemf artill¬ ery was in ATrginia. The Second Corps of the: Army of Northern “Virginia had forded the Poto¬ mac at Williamsport and the First and Third Corps crossed by pontoons at Falling Waters a few miles lower down. The rain was falling violently as they crossed. For hours Gen. Lee sat upon his horse on the river bank watching his army cross. It was 1 p. m. on the 14th before the last were over and in a rear guard skirmish Gen. Pettigrew who had supported Pickett at Gettysburg was killed. And so the Southern Army got back upon their own soil, but it left 20,000 men, killed, wounded and missing behind. The vinter following the Gettysburg cam¬ paign, that of 1863-4 was one of peculiar hardship for the Confederate Army. The plight of Lee’s men in Orange County, except for the less rigor¬ ous climate, was scarcely less desperate than that of Washington’s at Valley Forge. Men at length perceived that the conquest of the South was only a question of time and the currency issued by the Confederate Government became ridiculously de¬ preciated. And while this paper money was cheap and plenty the necessaries of life became scarce and dear. The Confederate note had be¬ come in fact a joke. The great and fertile val¬ ley of Virginia had been called the granary of the Confederacy. But Milroy, Flunter and Sheridan had made it a desert. Within the Southern lines that winter it took twenty Confederate dollars to buy a pound of sugar; fifty dollars for a bushel of corn meal, eight dollars for a pound of bacon. Coffee and tea were not obtainable at any price. The South had for a long time been cut off from the markets of the world. It is not surprising then that the hungry eyes of the Confederate sol¬ diers were turned upon the productive country lying north of the Potomac which must have ap¬ peared to them as the promised land appeared to the Children of Israel after their long sojourn m the wilderness This “Garden of the Lord” was separated from them by the Potomac, every bridge over which had been destroyed. But there were fords at intervals. Along the northern banks of the river and especially at the fords Union troops were on guard. Nearly the whole time there was a force on Maryland Heights opposite Harper’s Ferry. Here Gen. Wm. P. Maulsby, Gen. John R. Ivenly, Gen. Phelps with their Maryland troops were stationed from time to time. At Williams¬ port there was generally a considerable force and for some time Gen. Kenly was in command there as well as other points between Harper’s Ferry and Cumberland. The home companies also did duty along the river. During this time it was seldom indeed that it was “all quiet along the Potomac.” Up to the end of the Gettysburg campaign Mary¬ land had been treated by the South as a friendly neutral. The armies of invasion had been under strict discipline and any depredations upon private property were severly punished. The theory was that Maryland was held in subjection by the mil¬ itary power of the United States and the Confed¬ erate army came not as an invader but as a liber¬ ator. The necessary supplies for the army were always paid for scrupulously, but mostly in Con¬ federate money. When the unfortunate person whose horses or crops were taken would remon¬ strate and declare that the money was valueless to them, the quartermaster or commissary would as¬ sure him that it was the only money he had and that in a short time it would be worth as much as greenbacks. When, in the latter part of the war the Confed¬ erates became certain that the majority of the peo¬ ple of the three Western Counties of Maryland were as loyal to the Union as the people of New Eng¬ land and that those whose sjmipathy they had were afraid to make any demonstration, then the fiction of Maryland being a friendly country was frankly abandoned. Our people were thenceforth treated •’Recollections of Gen. Lee. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 355 by the raiding Southerners as they treated the people of Southern Pennsylvania, which was raided almost every time that a party crossed the Potomac. The Southern Army needed horses. There were few left in the South so they gathered all they could from farmers of Pranldin, Adams, Washing¬ ton and Frederick counties. They needed food and so the fat cattle of the rich clover fields m these counties were taken. At this time parties of ragged Southern soldiers rode at random through Washington County under no kind of discipline and looting as they went. Most of them came from that portion of Virginia where the land had been desolated, homes burned and everything de¬ stroyed. These people had tasted war and found that General Sherman had not exaggerated when he had declared that “War is hell.” They frankly desired that as many of the Northern people as possible should also have a taste of it. When these parties of looters met a citizen on a public road they would make him dismount and surrender his horse. If he had a gold watch the chances were that -it would be taken away from him and there were instances when they were also deprived of their shoes and sent on their way barefooted. The secessionist and Southern sympathizer fared no better than the rest. The soldiers who most distinguished them¬ selves in this work were those under Brigadier General John McCausland. This officer’s name appeared on the tax bills collected in Hagerstown for a number of years after the war. McCausland was the son of an Irishman who came to America and settled in Lynchburg where he married. Sub- subsequently he went to St. Louis and in that city Gen. McCausland was born. Returning to Vir¬ ginia he graduated at the Virginia Military Insti¬ tute with first honors in 1857 and was an instruc¬ tor in that school until the war when he organized the Rockingham Artillery and went into the army. In 1864 Gen. Jenkins who commanded the ad¬ vance cavalry that went through Hagerstown to Gettysburg, was killed and McCausland succeeded to his command. After the war he spent some time in Europe and Mexico and then settled down as a farmer at Grimm’s Landing in Mason County, Virginia. In June 1864 Gen. Lee ordered Gen. Early to make a demonstration towards Washington. Early’s forces thereupon marched up the valley to¬ wards the Potomac. M'cCausland’s Cavalry bri¬ gade was in his command. Ramseur’s division marched to Halltown and took possession of Boli- ver Heights at Harper’s Ferry where they were shelled by the Federal battery on Maryland Heights. On July 5 Gen. Gordon’s division crossed the Potomac at Boteler’s ford near Shep- herdstown and encamped on the Antietam near its mouth. Gen. Vaughn marched to Sharpsburg. McCausland also crossed at Shepherdstown and went to Sharpsburg while a detachment of cavalry went on to Boonsboro, six miles from Sharpsburg and thence across South Mountain into Frederick County. McCausland went up the Sharpsburg turnpike to Hagerstown. On July 1, 1864 Brigadier General Averill with 3000 United States troops occupied Hagers¬ town. About noon on the 6th Brigadier Gen. John McCausland with 1500 Confederates entered the town. Averill unaware probably of the size of this invading army retired before him and along with the Federal troops went a great throng of refugees including every official of the town with the’single exception of Matthew S. Barber, a member of the Council and Treasurer of the town. Averill re¬ tired up the Greencastl.e pike about three miles and there remained until the Confederates had de¬ parted. McCausland and his troops came up the Sharpsburg pike, marched up Potomac street across the public square to the Market House where the General established his headquarters. Because of the close proximity of the Federal troops McCaus¬ land kept his men under arms and on the alert, drawn up on the street. These men were the roughest, most ragged and disreputable troops that had been seen in Hagerstown. Mr. Barber, as soon as McCausland had established himself, received a summons to come to the Market House, he be¬ ing the only representative of the town govern¬ ment who had not fled. Mr. Barber who did not sus¬ pect the reason of his summons, but rather sup¬ posed he w'as to be arrested, started to the Market House and Mr. John H. Ivausler who was with him in front of the Hagerstown Bank when the messenger came, w r ent with him to share his fate. They found McCausland in Byers’ drug store and in his shirt sleeves. He handed to Mr. Barber a written requisition upon Hagerstown for $20,000 in money and 1500 outfits of clothing “from the skin out.” Mr. Barber told him that it would be impossible to procure the clothing as the mer¬ chants had removed or hid their goods. Stating this he asked what would be the penalty for fail¬ ure to produce the clothing. “Destruction of the 356 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD town by fire” was tile prompt response. “How long will you give lor the removal of the women P Barber asked.. “One hour,” was the reply. Mr. Barber left, saying that he would consult some of the leading citizens and report to him what could be done. Shortly afterwards he met George W. Smith, Sr., who returned with him and had an¬ other talk with MfiC'ausland hut could make no impression on him. Then Isaac Nesbitt, a Union man but not a violent partisan was called into con¬ sultation along with William T. Hamilton and others. It was desired that J. Dixon Roman, the President of the Hagerstown Bank should take charge of the negotiations, but he was in weak health and could not get to the Market House. After much persuasion MeCausland was induced to go to the clerk’s office to meet Mr. Roman who got that far on crutches, his home being on Wash- inton street a half square west of the Court House. Here Roman managed the affair with consummate tact and skill. He told MeCausland that the money could be raised without difficulty but rep¬ resented to him the impossibility of getting the clothing as that much was not in the town. “We will get all the clothing that it is possible” he said. “If you burn the town for failure to do what can¬ not be done, you will be destroying the property of many of the warm friends .of the Southern cause.” Finally MeCausland became reasonable and agreed to take the money and as much cloth¬ ing as could be collected. The agreement how¬ ever was that these terms should not be made known and that the people should be left under the impression that the redemption of the town depended upon the collection of the amount orig¬ inally required and that MeCausland had made no concession. For the collection of clothing three hours was allowed and if at the end of that time a considerable amount had been brought in the town would escape. Then there was a scurrying and hastening to and fro by people who believed that the safety of their homes depended on the success of their efforts. All kinds of raiment, old and new came pouring in along with rolls of cloth and other dry goods making such a variety and miscellaneous stock; in the Court House as was never seen in the town before. While this was going on Mr. Roman was occupied in arranging about the $20,000 in money. He proposed that a note should he drawn for the amount and that his bank, the Hagerstown Bank, should lend $10,- 000 of the required sum, and the First National and the branch of the Williamsport Bank each $5,000. The note was signed first by Mr. Barber as treasurer of the town and then Mr. Roman insisted that it should also be signed by a large number of the most influential citizens. No less than one hundred names were signed to the note. It was Mr. Roman’s purpose to have as many as possible interested in the assumption of the debt by the town. Mr. Barber carried the note around for the signatures and this prudent foresight sub¬ sequently saved a great deal of trouble. For when the refugees returned they made strong objection to the assumption of the debt by the town. After the danger had been removed there was a loud clamor that the money should not have been paid and that the rebel citizens had sold the town. But so many influential citizens were personally interested in having the responsibility of the debt removed from their shoulders that petitions to the legislature for authority to issue bonds were num¬ erously signed and the bonds were finally issued. “The MeCausland Fund” figured in the financial statements of Hagerstown for many y^ears before the last bond was paid. The $20,000 in greenbacks was carried to Mc- Causland by Mr. Barber. It was counted slowly and clumsily by men who evidently were unaccus¬ tomed to handling hank notes. In the meantime Washington and Potomac streets were filled with the soldiers impatient to depart. At the end of three or four hours about $9,000 worth of cloth¬ ing and merchandise had been gathered at the Court House, a receipt was given and Hagerstown was saved from the fate that befel Chambersburg. The final settlement was not concluded until mid¬ night when the cavalcade galloped off down the Sharpsburg road. While Mr. Barber was at breakfast the next morning a messenger came to inform him that a party of Confederate soldiers were down town, breaking into stores. He found an officer with a party of about 70 rough looking mounted men. They had broken into Rouskulp’s hat store and had taken the few hats it contained. They were just: about, to break into Cramer’s store below the Square. Mr. Barber remonstrated with them and exhibited McCausland’s receipt. The officer argued that McCauslancTs requisition had not been entirely complied with. After much dif¬ ficulty Barber induced the officer to accept ten pairs of hoots and to leave the town. Immediately afterwards another squad came and was about to burn a lot of government stores of grain, etc., Or WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 357 contained in the Cumberland Valley railroad ware¬ house and another warehouse on Walnut street. Mr. William T. Hamilton, Isaac Nesbit and other citizens went to beg them not to burn these build¬ ings. The officer agreed to spare the Walnut street warehouse upon condition that he should be paid $500 in cash and that the citizens named should give their bond and pledge their honor to take the grain and stores from the warehouses and destroy them. These conditions were accepted. The money was paid,the bond given and then the cit¬ izens went to work in good faith to carry the corn and oats out into the street for destruction. Some of it was stolen by individuals but the gentlemen who had pledged themselves to destroy it were extremely strict in carrying out their promise in good faith. They were proceeding with the work of burning grain when a party of Averill's Cav¬ alry came in and put a stop to it. But before they came the Confederates had burned the railroad warehouse and a large shed containing Government hay. To pay the McCausland debt required an is¬ sue of $39,000 in bonds—$30,000 for the money indemnity of $20,000 and $9,000 for the merchan¬ dise and the $500 for the redemption of the ware¬ house.* After gathering an enormous quantity of sup¬ plies and individual soldiers a great supply of loot, the Confederates passed from Washington County across the mountain to Frederick, fought the bat¬ tle of the Monocacy, penetrated to within a few miles of Washington and then crossed back into Virginia having carried consternation into South¬ ern Pennsnylvania as well as into Maryland. On July 26 another raid started and this time Southern Pennsylvania had just cause for general alarm and anxiety. That day Gen. Early- encamped near Martinsburg and his cavalry con¬ tinued on until they reached the Potomac opposite Williamsport. On July 27 McCausland crossed into Maryland at McCoy’s Ferry encamped for the night at Clearspring and continued on the next day through Mercersburg to Chambersburg, which town he reached July 30. After burning Cham¬ bersburg he went back through Me Connells ville to Hancock where he struck the National pike which he followed toward Cumberland pursued by Averill’s Cavalry. McCausland crossed back into Virginia at Oldtown.* A few days later he was overtaken at Moorefield by Averill who surprised and routed him. On July 29 Gen. Ramseur en¬ tered Williamsport and remained after some skir¬ mishes until McCausland had crossed back to Virginia and then he retired to Martinsburg. On August oth Gen. Breckenridge crossed at Wil¬ liamsport and encamped at the College of St. James. On the 6th Ramseur and Rodes recrossed at Williamsport while Breckenridge went down the Boonsboro road to Lappons and then down the Sharpsburg pike. Later in August Early was again in Shepherdstown and Fitzhugh Lee's Cav¬ alry opposite Williamsport where he exchanged artillery fire across the river with the Federals posted at that place. James Dixon Roman who conducted the nego¬ tiations with McCausland was for many years one of the wealthiest and most influential citizens of Hagerstown and a member of the Washington County Bar. He was born in Chester County, Pa., *This account of the McCausland raid was given to the author by Mr. M. S. Barber, the town Treas¬ urer at the time of the raid. *The following is an account of the burning of Chambersburg written by Gen. John McCausland for the Philadelphia Times about 1873. The wanton destruction of the private property of citizens of Virginia by the prders of General Hun¬ ter, a Federal commander, may be considered as one of the strongest reasons for the retaliation, by Early’s order, upon the city of Chambersburg. Andrew Hun¬ ter lived in the county of Jefferson, near Harper’s Ferry, and was a relative of Gen. Hunter’s; A. R. Boteler and E. I. Lee also lived in the same vicinity. No reasons that I have ever heard have been given for the burning of their houses. Governor Letcher’s property was in Lexington, Va.; the Military Insti¬ tute was near Lexington, also. I do not think that any better reasons can be given for the destruction of these properties than could have been given if Gen. Hunter had destroyed every house, barn or other building, that was standing and in good order, upon his line of march from Staunton to Lynchburg. The property of J. T. Anderson was in the county of Botetourt, and located near the banks of James river, at Buchanan. Mrs. Anderson and a lady rela¬ tive were the only occupants at the time. I de¬ stroyed the bridge across James river to retard Hunter in his march upon Lynchburg, and it de¬ tained him with his army for two days, during which time he occupied this house as his headquarters. He promised the ladies protection, and after his departure an officer and some soldiers returned with a written order from him to destroy everything about the premises. A few days afterward, as Gen. Hunter was passing another Virginia mansion, a lady asked him why he destroyed the magnificent home of Colonel Anderson. He replied “Virginia women were worse traitors than their husbands, and 358 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD August 11, 1809. While he was an infant his parents went to live in Cecil County, Md. He studied law in Frederick in the office of his uncle, Janies Dixon. After qualifying for the bar he set¬ tled in Hagerstown where he spent the remainder of his life. In 184i he was elected to Congress by the Whig party. He was Presidential elector on the Taylor and Fillmore ticket and also on the Buchanan ticket. He was best known in Hagers¬ town as President of the old Hagerstown Bank. To this place lie was elected in 1851 to succeed Alexander Neill, Sr., and lie held the place until his death fifteen years later. He was an accom¬ plished financier and the subsequent prosperity of the Hagerstown Bank was to a considerable extent due to his policy. At the beginning of the war he invested the resources of the bank largely in ex¬ change on London and sold it when gold was very high, making a great sum of money in the trans¬ action. In the war he was a warm Southern sym¬ pathizer, opposed to flie war and he was a member of the Richmond Peace Convention in 1861. In 1831 Air. Roman married Louisa Margaret Ken¬ nedy, daughter of John Kennedy. He had three children; Louisa, who died } r oung; James Dixon who died while a student at Harvard, and SaiHe, who married C. Columbus Baldwin, of New York. In her memory the beautiful stone tower and spire of St, John’s Episcopal church on Prospect street, Hagerstown, was built by her husband. She died in 1813. Mr. Roman died of a spinal disease in 1866 at the age of fifty-seven years. The suffering, privation, anxiety and loss by the people of Washington County during the four years of war, and especially in the latter part of it the men and women of this generation find it hard to realize. The County gave liberally of her men to both sides. Early in the conflict over a thousand soldiers had enlisted in the Union army from this County. Of the number who joined the Confederate army there is no complete record. The loss to the County in being deprived of all these active producers was great. The County wag swept more than once of nearly all horses and other farm animals at a time when they were ex¬ pensive and hard to replace at any price. Some of the citizens after-wards received partial com¬ pensation for their property. But the sum thus paid by the government was insignificant compar¬ ed with the actual loss. Thus fencing which is one of the most costly farm necessaries, when paid for was valued as cord wood, wheat in the straw, when he would burn the houses over their heads to make them personally and immediately^experience some punishment for their treason;” and on another oc¬ casion said to a lady that he would “humble the Virginia women before he left the State.” I could enumerate many other acts of actual destruction, and threats and acts of wanton violence on the part of Hunter, all of which went to make up public senti¬ ment that prevailed at the time in Virginia and which required the military authorities to take some steps to prevent their recurrence in future, besides stopping the useless destruction that was then go¬ ing on. But what I have given is considered suf¬ ficient to explain the reasons why the city of Cham- bersburg, in Pennsylvania, was destroyed. It may be considered as indispensable to give the location of the forces composing the Union and Confederate armies during the latter part of the month of July, 1864, in order to properly understand the raid that was made into the State of Pennsyl¬ vania, and which resulted in the destruction of Cham’bersburg. Hunter's army (Union) was scat¬ tered along the northern bank of the Potomac river, in Maryland, from near Hancock to Harper's Ferry, the main body being near the latter place. Early’s army (Confederate) was located on the opposite side of the same river with its main body near Martins- burg. Each army had its cavalry on the flanks.- My command was on the left of Early’s army, and I think that Averill’s cavalry was located opposite to me — a t least a portion of it was there. When I speak of cavalry in the course of this sketch I am aware that the term is not properly applied; and as far as the Confederate troops which I commanded were concerned, they were badly armed, badly mount¬ ed and worse equipped—in fact they were mostly mounted militia. The men -would have made good soldiers if there had been time to discipline them and arms and equipments to have furnished them. The horses were nearly all worn out, and there was no supply to draw others from. We attempted to get horses from Pennsylvania, but found them removed from the line of march, and we had no time to look for them elsewhere. In July, 1864, a cavalry brigade which I com¬ manded was encamped near the Potomac river, in the county of Berkeley, West Virginia. It made the advanced post of the army under Gen. Early that was guarding the approaches into Virginia through the Shenandoah Valley. On the 28th of July I received an order from Gen. Early to cross the Polomac with my brigade and one under Gen. Brad¬ ley T. Johnson and proceed to the city of Chambers- burg, and after capturing it to deliver to the proper authorities a proclamation which he had issued, call¬ ing upon them to furnish me with $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in greenbacks, and in case the money was not furnished I was ordered to burn the city and return to Virginia. The proclamation also stated that this course had been adopted in retaliation for .the destruction of property in Virginia by the orders of Gen. Hunter, and specified that the house of An- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 359 wheat was worth over $2 a bushel was paid for as bedding for the horses. Thus it was that Wash¬ ington County emerged from the war almost bank¬ rupt while the farmers removed from the track of the armies found great profit. The domestic problem, the problem of providing food for the family was one of the most difficult, with crops destroyed and nothing to sell, the prices of ordi¬ nary groceries was exorbitant and some, such as tea and codee, could scarcely be obtained at any price. I have no apology to offer in giving the following experience of one Washington County family living not far from the northern limit of Antietam battlefield and told by a lady now living in Baltimore but then a child in the family re¬ ferred to. The experience of that family as told is the history of many others. It is as follows: “One day an army encamped on our farm and the commanding officer’s tent was pitched at the back door of the house. The locusts which settled down in clouds upon the land of Egypt could not have made things disappear before them as these soldiers did. Before the camp was organ¬ ized the meat house was broken open and every pound of bacon was taken except a few hams which had been concealed- in the garret. Every ear of drew Hunter, A. R. Boteler, E. I. Lee, Gov. Letcher, J. T. Anderson, the Virginia Military Institute, and others in Virginia, had been burned by the orders of Gen. D. Hunter, a Federal commander, and that the money demanded from Chambersburg was to be paid to these parties as a compensation for their property. It appears that the policy of Gen. Early had been adopted upon proper reflection; that his orders were distinct and final, and that what was done on this occasion by my command was not the result of inconsiderate action or want of proper au¬ thority, as was alleged by many parties at the North, both at the time and since the close of the war. On the 29th of July the two cavalry brigades that were to make the dash into Pennsylvania, by turning the right of Hunter’s army, were assembled at or near Hammond’s Mill, in Berkeley county, W. Va. During the night the Federal pickets on the northern side of the Potomac were captured, and the troops crossed just at daylight on the morning of the 30th, and moved out and formed the line of march on the National road. Major Gilmer drove the Federal cavalry from the small village of Clear Spring, and pushed on toward Hagerstown to create the impression that the rest of the troops were fol¬ lowing. At Clear Spring we left the National road and turned north on the Mercersburg road. We reached Mercersburg about dark, and stopped to feed our horses and to give time for the stragglers to come up. After this stop the march was contin¬ ued all night, notwithstanding the opposition made corn from the crib, and every pound of hay from the bam was taken by the soldiers. The horses had already been taken and now the hogs and poultry went. The fencing was swept from the farm as if by a conflagration. It all went into the camp fires. The cows were not taken, but un¬ til guards could be procured there was a soldier all the time tugging at each one. Finally after it was nearly too late order was restored and guards placed over the pump and the potato patch and the orchard. Nearly all the potatoes had al¬ ready been dug. I remember that one old hen had escaped the general massacre of the poultry and took refuge at nightfall in an apple tree. A soldier shot at her and was reported by the guard. His punishment was a most cruel one. He was hung up by Ids thumbs. During this encampment and at other times during the war, the cruel pun¬ ishment inflicted upon the soldiers, sometimes for offences which seemed trivial, was distressing to us. Sometimes a man would be marching back and forth in the burning sun for hours with a knapsack full of stones on his back. “It is hard to describe the change which is made by the encampment of an army. In an incredibly short time a splendid field of luxuriant at every available point by a regiment of Federal cavalry. Majoi* Sweeney, with his cavalry battalion, kept the roads clear, and we reached Chambersburg at daylight on the 31st. The approach to the town was defended only by one piece ot artillery and- some irregular troops that were soon driven off, and the advance of our force took possession of the town. The main part of the two brigades was formed in line on the high ground overlooking the town. 1 at once went into the place with my staff, and re¬ quested some of the citizens to inform the city au¬ thorities that I wanted to see them. I also sent my staff through the town to find out where the proper officials were, and inform them that I had a procla¬ mation for their consideration. Not one could be found. I then directed the proclamation to be read to many of the citizens that were near me, and requested them to hunt up their officers, informing them I would wait until they could either find them, or by consultation among themselves determine what they would do. Finally I informed them that I would wait six hours, and if they would comply with the requisition their town would be safe; and in case they did not it would be destroyed in ac¬ cordance with my orders from Gen. Early. After a few hours of delay many citizens came to me— some were willing to pay the money, others were not. I urged them to comply with such reasons as occurred to me at the time, and told them plainly what they might expect. I showed to my own offi¬ cers the written instructions of Gen. Early, and be- 360 HISTOEY AND BIOGRAPHICAL EECOED verdue had been beaten down as haTd as a turn¬ pike road and evefy blade of grass had disappeared. It was years before the most careful cultivation could restore the land to anything like its former productive condition. When it was finally plowed the land broke up in great clods and lumps which had to be pulverized with axes and mallets. And It was not only the fields in which the encampment was that were injured. All the fences were gone and roads were made across all the fields in every direction. This was especially the case upon an¬ other occasion when a large division of wagons settled upon us. “One summer evening as we were waiting for supper to come on the table a Federal officer, mounted on a splendid black horse rode up to the house followed by a Confederate prisoner ragged and forlorn and riding a horse so thin that it seemed marvelous that he could walk. The two dismounted, the officer coming upon the porch and the prisoner sitting outside the yard a short dis¬ tance away. The officer asked for -roper and while waiting for it my father got into conversa¬ tion with him and the officer became so interested that he forgot his prisoner, who was not slow to take advantage of the situation. He quietly glided away without being perceived, mounted the offi¬ cer’s horse and dashed away. The officer fired at him and then turned upon my father with the utmost fury and charged him with a plot to with¬ draw his attention to aid the rebel in escape. He left in high dudgeon and early the next morning he reappeared with a squad of soldiers and an¬ nounced his intention to burn the house, not only because of the incident of the previous evening but because some of the neighbors had told him that my father had aided wounded rebels and had taken care of them in his barn. My father went out and defied the party. He dared them to burn the house. We were all in mortal terror, more from fear that my father would be killed than from the threatened burning. I do not know what made the officer change his mind but after lighting the torches he left without putting his threat into execution. “My father was for the Union but being a very humane man never hesitated to render as- dstance to any sick or wounded Confederate who demanded it. This caused his loyalty to be sus¬ pected and got him into frequent altercations with the soldiers and once or twice he was ar¬ rested. fore a single house was destroyed both the citizens and the Confederate officers that were present fully understood why it was done and by whose orders. After waiting until the expiration of the six hours, and finding that the proclamation would not be com¬ plied with, the destruction of the town was begun by firing the most central blocks first, and after the inhabitants had been removed from them. Thus the town was destroyed, and the inhabitants driven to the hills and fields adjacent thereto. No lives were lost by the citizens and only one soldier was killed, and he was killed after the troops left the vicinity of the place. About noon the troops were reformed on the high ground overlooking the town, where the most of them had been posted in the early morning, and the return to the Potomac was begun shortly afterward. We encamped at McConnellsburg that night, and reached the river the next, day at or near Hancock, Mft, In confirmation of what I have written Major Gilmer says in his book, ‘Four Years in the Saddle," page 210: “He showed me Gen. Early’s order.” Gen. Early, in his “Memoir,” page 57, says: “A written demand was sent to the municipal authorities, and they were informed what would be the result of a failure or refusal to comply with it.” On page 59 he says: “On the 30th of July McCausland reached Chambersburg and made the demand as directed, reading to such of the authorities as presented them¬ selves the paper sent by me.” Colonel W. E. Pe¬ ters, who commanded one of the regiments in John¬ ston’s brigade, when the burning commenced came and asked me if the burning was being done by my orders. I showed him the order of Gen. Early and he was satisfied, and proceeded to carry out the orders as was being done by other regiments of his brigade. In this expedition the troops passed through more than one hundred miles of hostile territory, executed all orders that were issued with promptness and regularity, and never have I heard of any com¬ plaints of acts unauthorized by their superior officers. I think that these facts will show that this entire expedition was planned and executed in accordance with the orders of superior officers of competent authority to order it, and moreover, that it was an act of retaliation perfectly justified by the circum¬ stances, and was at all times kept clearly within the rule governing civilized warfare. Vattel, in his “Law of Nations,” lays down the following rule and it may not be inappropriate to quote it in order that many persons, who may read what is said about the destruction of Cham¬ bersburg, may have the opinion of a standard au¬ thority upon such proceedings: A civil war breaks the bonds of society and governments, or at least suspends their force and effect. It produces in the nation two independent parties who consider each other as enemies and ac¬ knowledge no common judge. Those two parties, therefore, must necessarily be considered as thence¬ forward constituting, at least for a time, two separate bodies, two distinct societies. Though one of the OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 361 “Soldiers of both armies were constantly com¬ ing to the house for meals and our larder was generally kept nearly empty. Our house seemed to be at a place which was constantly changing hands. One day it changed possession no less than five times and several times soldiers of one side retreated from the back door as their enemy ad¬ vanced to the front door. One evening a sejuad of hungry looking and ragged Confederates came into the kitchen with sacks of flour which they had ta¬ ken from a neighboring mill, and asked to have it made into bread. We all went hard to work to make the bread and had cooked a good pile of short cake which the men were devouring with their eyes when the alarm was given that the “Yankees” were coming. They seized their bread and leaped, out of the back windows and ran for their lives. A good portion of the bread which was on the stove or in the kneading trough, was eaten by the Union soldiers. “I often wonder how we ever managed to keep enough food in the house for the family to B<® Upon. There isms a constant demand upon us. Frequently we did not have a horse to send to mill to get flour. Sometimes every domestic animal on the farm was taken and when a considerable body of men would settle down near us or pass by us, we had to ask for guards for everything. The Cows had to be guarded to keep the soldiers from milking them. The orchard had to have a guard to protect the apples. The potato patch had to be guarded and the well was so constantly pumped that it was necessary to place a guard there so that enough water could accumulate for the use of the family. All these guards had to be fed by us. “Perhaps w 7 e were the better enabled to ob¬ tain the services of guards from the fact that generally there were officers occupying the house who were anxious upon their own account to keep something in the larder. Once fifteen Surgeons spent four days with us and taxed us sorely to feed them. These paid their board liberally and with greenbacks which seemed to be fresh from the press. My mother was siek and young as I was the care of: like house fell upon me. The surgeons were very considerate and the one of highest rank, lie was in the regular army, was an elderly man and a most courteous gentleman. The house was not nearly large enough to accommodate so many and some of them slept on the parlor floor and on top of the piano. Our silver was buried, with the exception of one teaspoon and this I always gave to the oldest surgeon. The rest had to use pewter spoons. “For six weeks our barn was converted into a hospital by my father who was a physican as well as a farmer. There were sixty inmates suffering with fevers and various ailments. My father had bard work to feed these. They got their rations but would not eat them and we had to provide more palatable food. My father sent flour to a neighbor and paid to have it made into bread. He had a fine flock of sheep at that time and kill¬ ed them all to feed the sick. Soup was made in a large iron kettle on a fire near the barn. One day a huge box came from the North contain¬ ing great quantities of medicines and food. The most acceptable of these was quinine and whiskey. Both were required in the hospital and both were too expensive for us to procure. For several dajs my father was sick and could not get to the barn and he sent me to administer the medicines. He provided me with a chart of the bam which show¬ ed th.e position of each patient on the floor and he indicated in that way which medicine I was lo administer to each. I successfully performed this duty but it was not an agreeable one for after each xBi! I would be covered with vermin. Three parties may have been to blame in breaking the- unity o£ the State and resisting the lawful authority, they are not the less divided in fact. Besides, who shall judge them? Who shall pronounce on which side the right or the wrong lies? On earth they have no common superior. They stand, therefore, in precisely the same- predicament as two nations who engage in a contest and being unable to come to an agreement have recourse to arms. This being the case it is evident that the common laws of war, those maxims of humanity, moderation and honor commonly observed, ought to be observed by both parties in every civil war. For the same reasons which render the observances of those maxims a matter of obligation between State and State, it be¬ comes equally and even more necessary in the unhappy circumstances of the two incensed parties lacerating their common country. Should the sov¬ ereign conceive he has a right to hang up his pris¬ oners as rebels the opposite party will make refu¬ sals, or to destroy their country they will retaliate. The Duke of Alva made it a practice to condemn to death every prisoner he took from the Confederates in I he Netherlands. 'They, on their part retaliated and at length compelled him to respect the law of nations and the rules of war in his conduct toward The above is the rule and example of nations, and applying it to this case, I think that any one can understand it. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of the patients died and were buried under a cherry tree in the yard. One of them was horribly wounded near the house and was carried into the barn where he died in a few hours. He was the son of a rich merchant in Portsmouth, N. H., and some time after the burial his father came for the body and carried it away in a metalic coffin. His grief upon the death of this his only son was v ery affecting. The hospital made it sickly at our home. Although the greatest care was taken and disinfectants were used liberally all about the house, my little sister was taken with typhoid fever and was very ill. When my father presented his hill to the Government for supplies furnished the hospital he received just one-half the sum he had actually expended. “Early one afternoon I was standing with several other little girls in front of a farmhouse near the turnpike. Looking down the road we saw a long line of Confederates coming and knowing that a great army was to pass, we started to go to the road to see them. But just as we were starting the gate opened and a party of offi¬ cers rode in. They rode up to where we were standing and a snlendid looking officer riding a tine horse, whose high rank we recognized by the star on his collar, raised his hat to us and asked whose house it was. He then said he knew the family which had formerly owned it and asked for a glass of water. This 1 ran to get and handed to him. After thanking me he raised his hat and left and we followed him to the gate. As he disappeared up the road I asked a soldier who it was and was informed that it was General Lee. I was very proud of having had the opportunity to wait on the great commander. It took many hours for the army to pass and as we little girls sat on the fence watching them, many soldiers spoke to us but always with the utmost courtesy. One of them, a mere boy, left the ranks and handed me his card and a button from his coat. He was from Mississippi and said he hoped we would meet again. These I think I have still. The button I wore when I went to school in the North a year later much to the indignation of my teachers ana Northern schoolmates. “My mother who was in poor health, was in constant alarm about my father who was brought into conflict from time to time with soldiers by the refusal to submit quietly to wrongs. One day he left home to try to recover some horses that had been taken. He went to Boonsboro which was then within the Federal lines. It was Monday •when he left home and not until Saturday could he obtain permission to go through the lines to return. He had been arrested and detained and made several narrow escapes with his life. Dur¬ ing Ms absence we heard nothing from him. When lie left my mother, who was a young woman, had not a grey hair, when he returned her head was almost white.” The last session of the College of St. James as a college, opened October 7, 1863 with twenty- three students which later increased to thirty-three. That last year was one full of incidents and war alarms. At every Confederate invasion all through the war the college had been visited by formei pupils who were officers or soldiers in the South¬ ern army. All came to pay their respects to Dr. Iverfoot who never seemed to lose their love or respect by his firm stand for the Union. On the last day of the year Dr. Kerfoot read in Chapel a list of twelve of the former college boys of whose death in the army he had received information. On July 3 and 4 came news of a Confederate raid. The time had finally come when the Confederates understood that at least this part of Maryland was in their enemy’s country and they treated if as such, gathering up horses wherever they could find them as well as supplies for their ragged and half-starved soldiers, In addition to these depre¬ dations many outrages on private property anu rights were committed by wandering bands of de¬ serters from both armies, some of them regularly- organized forces who were out for loot. Among them was a party of about a half dozen men com¬ manded by Lieut. Jones, openly declaring they were deserters and calling themselves the New York Hawkeyes. This was the su m mer of Gen. Mc- Causland's raid, of the burning of Chambersburg and of the levying of tribute upon Hagerstown. As soon as news of the Confederate raid was re¬ ceived and not a week passed without its alarming rumor, there was a general stampede with horses up to Pennsylvania. Vast numbers of animals were captured and the work of the fanner was more generally interrupted this year than in the preceding years of the war. On July 5 there was a running skirmish on the Sharpsburg turnpike from Hagerstown to Lappans X Roads. About the same time there were a number of barns burn¬ ed, a lot of army stores at Williamsport was de¬ stroyed and many depredations were made by straggling Confederates or detachments. The OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 363 College of St. James was looted a number of times. Before this Gen. Hunter had devastated the valley of Virginia, burning dwelling houses and de¬ stroying private property by wholesale. The whole Confederacy was in a state of fury about this un¬ civilized manner of conducting war and the loyal people of Western Maryland and Southern Penn¬ sylvania were thrown into consternation because they knew there would be reprisals. In a letter to Bishop Whittingham Dr. Ker- foot voiced the general sentiment of the humane Union people. “The wicked and needless destruc¬ tion of private and other unwarlike property by Hunter lately,” he wrote, “made us anxious for mills and colleges if the rebels should cross the river. I wish Mr. Lincoln would- reprobate and prohibit what we should agree would be gross wrong against us if done here by Confederates.’ 1 * A barn of Mr. Hammond’s was burnt and the distillery and farm house at Dalton the home of Mr. Dali in the Williamsport district were also destroyed. Then came Gen. Early’s great raid through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. On the 5th of August a party of Confederates arrived at the College of St. James and all the horses were brought up for delivery to the party. But the officer in command proved to be a former student of the college. He was cordial and most defential to his old teachers refusing to deprive them of their horses but advisihg them to send them away. The same day a larger party came and Major Peyton the commander asked permission to establish his headquarters at the great college spring. Later Gen. Bamseur, of Virgina, arrived and took command. These officers and men were, extremely polite to the college people. Two of the captains, Philips and Moore, were former pupils and a number of them were invited to dinner by Dr. Iverfoot and Gen. Ramseur took tea at the rectory. At the tea table a most awkward inci¬ dent occurred. Major Peyton arrived and called Gen. Ramseur out. He had brought an order to that gentleman from General Early to arrest his host. Dr. Kerfoot was called into the parlor and there informed of the order for his arrest and that of the Rev. Mr. Coit, his assistant (later principal of St. Paul’s School, Concord, New Hampshire) and that they must prepare to start for Richmond. They were to be held there as hostages for the Rev. Dr. Hunter Boyd of Win- ' Chester who had been arrested by Federal soldiers and imprisoned in the common jail in Wheeling. While this news was communicated in the gentlest and most sympathetic manner, Dr. Kerfoot receiv¬ ed it, in his then state of health, as a sentence of death. It also involved the leaving of his wife and children amidst warlike scenes of the greatest disorder. The two clergymen were kept under close guard that night. They had sent for Mr. John W. Breathed, lately a curator of the college, a Southern sympathizer and the father of Major James Breathed, who lived just across the road from the college campus. Mr. Breathed went the next morning to see Gen. Early and at 8 o’clock returned with that officer to the college. Gen. Early talked to. his prisoners at great length and courteously explained to them, after telling the history of Dr. Boyd’s arrest, the necessity of de¬ taining the two clergymen to secure the release of the Virginia minister. Before Gen. .Early came Mr. Coit asked Gen. Ramseur—“General, will you kindly inform me why we are arrested?” The account of the interview is given by the Rev. Mr. Coit. Mr. Coit’s account says: “His answer was that we were arrested as hostages for Rev. Dr. Boyd of Winchester, Va., who had been seized in the most cruel and unjustifiable manner by the United States military authorities and taken to Wheeling, Virginia and cast into the common jail along with criminals of all sorts both black and white. The Confederate Government had in vain remonstrated and called attention to the case and at last as the only remedy, had resolved to resort to reprisals. There were no complaints against us personally and no charges of acts done by us in violation of the laws of war. ’ We were, unfortunately, clergymen of sufficient position and importance belonging to the Northern side to be thought suitable persons to hold as hostages for* Dr. Boyd. As for our disposition, he was direct¬ ed to place us in close arrest at once. We should probably be carried to Richmond and kept in Lib¬ by prison until Dr. Boyd’s release or until the end of the war.” The interview of Gen. Early with the two clergymen took place in the parlor of the rectory. There were none present but these three and Col. Pendleton. Mr. Coit in describing this interview said: “Gen. Early, tall, pale and grim looking, neatly dressed, seated himself, while to the best of my recollection we remained sffinding. *Hall Harrisons Life of Bishop Kerfoot. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD He immediately began an address to us, explaining why lie had ordered our arrest. He spoke like a lawyer arguing in defence of a cause, and 1 confess that his recital of the cruelties and needless miseries inflicted on the people of Virginia by po¬ litical generals or irresponsible parties following in the wake of our armies, was very telling. If the half of what Gen. Early recounted was true, the North, in spite of the JtWtice of its CBltee, had much to atone for. The reprisals begun by the South seemed justifiable as being their only pro¬ tection against injuries and outrages neither al¬ lowed by the laws of war nor called for by any extreme necessity.' 7 At the close of his long ad¬ dress Gen. Early informed the prisoners that he had decided to take their parole upon the condi¬ tion that they should effect the release of Dr. Boyd. If they did not succeed in doing this they were to surrender themselves to. the Confederates at City Point three Weeks from that day. This the two clergymen had no doubt they could do and the announcement was joyfully received al¬ most as a release from a sentence of death. £ ‘T ought to say,' 7 Mr. Coit continued, “that Gen. Early added that he had been induced to this act of clemency by the fact that he had been assured by responsible parties that while Dr. Iverfoot and myself were strong Union men, yet we had taken no part in promoting war, nor had done anything inconsistent wdth our position as clergymen and that we had made no distinction of persons in ■whatever we had done for the sick and -wounded after the battles of Antietum and Gettysburg. I think that Gen. Early made a strong and favorable impression on both Dr. Kerfoot and myself and I have always had a kindly feeling towards him and a wish to see him again. And his defence was not thrown away. I think that it had a marked effect on Dr. Kerioot’s own opinions on certain features of the policy of our Government in the conduct of the war. I was much thrown with Dr.-Iverfoot in the next three weeks and we had many conver¬ sations upon the events and questions of the hour. And I noticed on his part a deeper tone of sym¬ pathy and compassion for the Southern people and a distinct recognition of many unnecessarily cruel and vexatious acts perpetrated in the name of the Government by generals who were either fanatical partisans or unprincipled demagogues. At the same time there was no change in, his strong sis *Harrisons’ Life of Bishop Kerfoot. tachment to the Northern cause and unshaken conviction of its righteousness.* Dr. Kerfoot and Mr. Coit had anticipated the easy and speedy achievement of the release of Dr. Boyd and their own release from their parole. But in this they were doomed to disappointment. They had a singular difficulty in locating Dr. Boyd. There seamed no record of his arrest nor of his imprisonment and it was only accomplished after a visit to Baltimore, then to Harper’s Ferry, then hark to Baltimore and finally to Washington and going from official to official, referred from one to another until they were weary and disheart¬ ened. Their first application was to Bishop Whit- tingham who was high in the confidence of the administration. But to their amazement that great and good man reproached them for giving their parole. They had no right, he declared, to put the government in any position whereby it even impliedly acccorded to the South the rights of a belligerent. And when the two gentlemen went the next day to see Gen. Lew Wallace, the comman¬ der of the department of Maryland, he told them that he had received'a few- days before a singular application from Bishop Whittingham, namely to arrest both of them and imprison them in Fort McHenry to prevent them from keeping their pa¬ role.* But the Bishop after his interview with them and after their ret u m from Harper’s Ferry, gave them a strong letter to the President asking his aid for them and assuring him that “they have abundant attestations from the military au¬ thorities immediately cognizant of the facts, that what they ask is lit and right in itself, and con¬ sistent with ! he principles on which Government has hitherto acted in such eases. - ’ Dr. Boyd had been arrested liv Gen. Milroy and Gen. Wallace advised Dr. Iverfoot to go to C)en. Sheridan's camp in the Valley for some information of his prison. On August 11 they went to Harper's Ferrv and set light the aid of Gen. William P. Maulshy, of Frederick who was then in command of troops on Maryland Heights. With that gentleman they spent, the night. He was kind and sympathetic and sent to Gen. Sheridan’s headquarters for in¬ formation about Dr. Boyd but could get none and the clergymen returned dispirited to Baltimore more than a third of their precious term of proba¬ tion having expired without any results. On Au¬ gust Hi they went to Washington, ealMl at the ♦Harrisons’ Life of Bishop Kerfoot. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 365 White House, but the President was too tired to receive them nor could they get to see Secretary Stanton. Gen. Hitchcock, Commissary General of Prisoners took a warm interest in the case and telegraphed to all the military prisons but no trace of Dr. Boyd could be found. The General de¬ nounced the conduct of such generals as arbitrarily arrested non-combatants from personal pique or even worse motives and vented their spite by keep¬ ing their victims in jails without notifying the proper authorities or making any formal charges. At the War Department they were informed that Mr. Stanton had taken up the case and was vehe¬ mently denouncing Gen. Milroy, declaring that if he had not resigned he would have him tried by court martial and cashiered. Finally Dr. Boyd was located and released and the two clergymen joyf ully returned to St. James. That was the last of that college. Dr. Kerfoot became President of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, and was later elected Bishop of Pittsburg and died in that city. Dr. Coit went to St. Paul’s school in Con¬ cord, New Hampshire, of which he was later the headmaster. He died in 1906. About the time that Dr. Kerfoot and Mr. Coit were arrested at St. James, several arrests were made in Hagerstown. Frederick 0. McObmas, Rev. Henry Edwards, An¬ drew PI. Hager and a number of others were ta¬ ken to Williamsport. Alex. Neill, Jr., and A. K. Syester went over and persuaded Gen. Early to parole them. John W. Breathed the curator of St. Janies College, who canto to the rescue of Dr. Kerfoot and Mr. Coit when they were arrested, was a man who took a large part in the affairs of Washington County. He was for four years Judge of the Orphans’ Court was an extensive farmer and the first agent of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad at Breatheds Station which got its name from him. He was the son of Isaac Breathed and Kitty Lyles, the latter a daughter of a surgeon in the Revolutionary army. This couple had two chil¬ dren, besides John W., both daughters. One of them, Jane, married, first the Rev. James Dela- plaine and subsequently the Rev. James Buck, for many years rector of Rock Creek Parish, District of Columbia, both of them clergymen of the Epis¬ copal church. The other daughter, Elizabeth, married Stephen Snodgrass of Martinsburg. John W. Breathed was born in Montgomery County in 1814. In 1830 he was appointed to West Point through his cousin John Breathed, Governor of Kentucky. But he went West and then to Vir¬ ginia where he represented Morgan County in the Legislature. He then came back to Maryland and engaged in farming. He was twice married His first wife was Ann McGill Williams, daugh¬ ter of John McGill Williams, of Montgomery County and also a descendant of Dr. Lyles of the revolutionary army and a cousin of her husband. The second wife was Otelia Cullen, daughter of Dr. Cullen, of Richmond. Mr. Breathed had eighteen children, twelve by the first marriage and six by the second. Mr. Breathed lived first near Hancock and then moved to the College of St. James. After the college closed he bought the Rockland farm on the Sharpsburg road near Lap- pons, formerly the home of Col. Frisby Tilghman. Later he moved to Virginia and was for some years before his death Mayor of Lynchburg. He owned a great tract of land in West Virginia which went into the possession of Robert Bridges his son- in-law and became extremely valuable. Three of Mr. Breathed’s sons entered the Confederate army. One of them, John W. Breath¬ ed, Jr., joined Lee’s army when it came into Mary¬ land. Subsequently on the march to Chambers- burg lie was captured and imprisoned in Philadel¬ phia where his health broke down. After the war he moved to Missouri. Isaac Breathed also enter¬ ed the army at the age of 15. Mr. Breathed’s third son who went into the army was Major James Breathed , one of the bravest and most distinguish¬ ed: artillery officers in the Confederate service. James Breathed was born in Morgan County, Va., December 15, 1838. In his childhood his father removed to the college of St, James where James was educated. In 1860 he graduated in medicine in the University of Maryland and went to the neighborhood of St. Joseph, Mo., to prac¬ tice his profession. When the war began, or was about to begin, he came home to join the Southern Army. His traveling companion from Missouri was James E. B. Stuart, afterwards his command¬ ing officer. Breathed enlisted in a company of cavalry at Martinsburg commanded by J. Blair Hoge, known as Company B, First Virginia Cav¬ alry. This company with others was put under the command of Col. J. E. B. Stuart who recog¬ nizing Breathed as his traveling companion from the West assigned him to important scouting duty. Early in 1863 a battalion of horse artillery being organized, Mr. Breathed w r as made first lieuten¬ ant of the first battery of which John Pelham was HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD captain. That battery was in the thick of the war and at the forefront of every great battle of the Army of Northern Virginia—the peninsula campaign. Fair Oaks, the Seven Days around Richmond, Antietam and Gettysburg, and on to Appomattox. He was a man apparently reckless in his daring. And yet the result showed that he had a cool head and if his bravery carried him into tight places his military skill brought him through. In September 1862 he was promoted captain and later major. At the close of the war he had reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. B o officer of equal rank in the service perhaps has more stories of gallantry told of him than had Major Breathed. No battery in either army gain¬ ed a greater reputation than Breathed’s battery. Among the stories told of Breathed there are some illustrating his personal prowess as well as his bravery. Toward the close of the war in a fu¬ rious encounter with Sheridan's men at Yellow Tavern, Breathed was cut from his saddle and fell among the feet of the charging horses. When his loss was discovered his retreating men were about to turn back to recover him when the miss¬ ing officer dashed up on a horse, badly wounded. He had dragged a Federal officer down, mounted his horse and escaped. Another time in a hand to hand fight with two Federal officers he van¬ quished both. Fitzhugh Lee spoke of his activity up to the last moment at Appomattox and of the ‘'proverbial intrepidity of the reckless Breathed upon every battlefield of the Army of Northern Virginia.” When he was wounded in Richmond the commander in chief wrote to him a tender let¬ ter of sympathy. Major Breathed while in battle fought with ferocity. After the fight he would give to the wounded, friend or foe alike, his pro¬ fessional services whenever he was aide. After the war he returned to his old home at Hancock where his sister, Mrs. Robert Bridges, lived, and resumed the practice of his profession of medicine. His practice extended into Pennsylvania where he won the love and confidence of many who had regard¬ ed him with bitter hostility. He died February 16, 1870 in the thirty-second year of his age and was buried in St. Thomas’ churchyard in Hancock. Another son of Washington County was Ma¬ jor Breathed’s companion in arms and his close friend. He was Major George Freaner who was aide-de-camp upon the staff of Gen. J. E. B. Stuart until the death of that officer when he became a member of the staff of Gen. Fitzhugh Lee until the surrender. George Freaner was born in Hagerstown January 20, 1831, educated at Dickinson College and entered the Hagerstown Bar in 1853. Soon afterwards he went to Cali¬ fornia and opened a law office in Oakland. He also engaged in newspaper work and took a hand in politics. In 1856 he was elected elector at large on the Buchanan ticket and was chosen to bring the vote of the electoral college, of California to Washington. He did not return to the coast but settled down to the practice of law in Hagers¬ town, associated with Robert Wason and George W. Smith. In 1859 he was elected to the House of Delegates of Maryland and took a leading part at the following session. As chairman of the com¬ mittee on elections he submitted the report which unseated the Baltimore City delegation. It then became known to him that his own election had taken place before he had acquired citizenship in Maryland and he was therefore ineligible to the Legislature. He immediately resigned and came home. In autumn of J861 Mr. Freaner entered the Confederate Army as adjutant of the First Virginia Cavalry commanded by Col. L. Tiernan Brien. Then he was on the staffs of Wade Hamp¬ ton, J. E. B. Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee. After the war he returned to Hagerstown and became law partner of Andrew K. Syester and continued in that firm until his death November 10, 1878. George Freaner was a man of strong character, marked ability and a speaker of remarkable force and eloquence. He took a leading position at the liar at the time when the bar of Hagerstown was the strongest in the Maryland counties. In poli¬ tics he was a Democrat and true to his record and instincts for honest government and was a strong supporter of William T. Hamilton. His wife who survived him was a daughter of George Fech- tig. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 367 CHAPTER XXIV close of the Civil War found the people M of Washington County greatly impover- ished. Their losses had been heavy and there was yet a decade before substantial recovery began. The County as a whole had lost the wealth producing energies of one or two thou¬ sand able-bodied men who had gone into the army and were withdrawn from industrial work for a period of four years. Fifteen hundred slaves had been set free. Crops had been destroy¬ ed, horses and all farm animals carried off and fencing burned by marching armies. But possibly the largest loss was caused by the fluctuating cur¬ rency. Prices in gold for lands and farm pror ducts had remained steady. But the depreciated greenback was the measure of values. As the greenback became less valuable the price, or rather the nominal price, of lands and wheat and corn advanced. The high price of wheat tempted many to buy lands at inflated values, giving mortgages to secure deferred payments. Many farmers were compelled to mortgage their lands to pay for horses and cattle which they had to buy in place of those taken by the soldiers, and upon these mortgages the interest charged was at the rate of from 8 to 10 per cent. The cost, too, of farming during these years was excessive compared to the present cost. The binding reapers had not been invented and the use. of steam engines in threshing grain did not become general for more than ten years after the close of the war. Harvest wages were very high, more than double the daily wage paid for other farm work—and a great band of men had to be engaged to do the work that three or four men do now with the use of the binder. To thresh a crop of 2000 bushels of wheat with horse power was the work of over- ten days and it re¬ quired from fifteen to twenty-five meti, whereas the same work can be done now in three days with gjx: or eight men. Therefore after the farmer had paid the fertilizer bill, the cost of seed and seeding, the cost of harvest and threshing there was little left, even though wheat was selling at from two to three dollars a bushel to pay the annual inter¬ est on the mortgage. The farmers generally bor¬ rowed from the banks to tide over temporary em¬ barrassments. Each borrower had to give person¬ al security and he went to his neighbors to endorse his notes. One failure frequently involved a half dozen farmers in a neighborhood. Money would be borrowed and the currency so borrowed might be worth only fifty or seventy-five cents on the dollar. When it was paid several years later it had to be paid in money worth a hundred cents to the dollar. Thus every debt contracted during or immediately following the war, if it had not been paid within a few years thereafter was doubled or greatly expanded. As the greenback more nearly approached the gold standard, land values made a nominal shrinkage and many acres which had been bought in the flush times at $100 or more per acre were sold under the hammer at mort¬ gagee’s or trustee’s or sheriff’s sale for less than half that sum. For ten years after the close of the war the work of liquidation went on. Many made deeds of trust of their property for the ben¬ efit of creditors and the columns of the County papers were filled with advertisements. Many farmers sold their property and emigrated to the West. For years each spring two or more special HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD trains loft Hagerstown, each Tuesday carrying em¬ igrants away from their old homes. In this way Washington County lost several thousand of val¬ uable and industrious citizens. Not: only did Washington County people go, but Hagerstown became the starting point for great numbers of people from the neighboring counties in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Early in the war when Hagerstown, was a gathering place for Federal soldiers there were “flush times.” The soldiers spent their money freely and the government spent considerable sums for stores, especially wheat and forage. But pig people of the town, as an offset to this brief pe¬ riod of prosperity lost heavily during Confederate occupation and the numerous Confederate raids. For a considerable time business was at a stand¬ still and when the war was over there were few in the town who had profited by if. Not one cit¬ izen had accumulated a. large fortune as so many had done in the North, After the end of the war there were a few years of political strife and bit¬ terness which when some of the Confederate sol¬ diers returned broke out upon one or two occas¬ ions in open violence. But matters in a short time resumed the usual course although the town felt the depression of Hie reaction from war just as the County at large did. In the old staging days Hagerstown, although it had a population under 1.000 a place of considerable activity and being a stopping pte* on the principal National thoroughfare between flat* East and Vest, it was a town of prominence and its name known throughout the country. Af¬ ter through travel had been diverted by the rail¬ roads the town became a typical County town. It had the Court House and the County offices. It was the gathering place for the farmers who met there then as they do now for the transaction of business. But the hotels had dwiessed and deteriorated, some of the lug merchant mills had gone out of business. There were flourishing stores in nearly every village of the County and there \rere mechanics at nearly every Cross roads. All the more important villages had 1 shoemakers, tailors, tinkers, wagon and plow makers, harness makers, coopers, blacksmiths, carpenters and cabi¬ net makers. With these the farmers traded, gen¬ erally paying their bills in whole or in part with the products of the farm, thus finding a nearby and good market for almost everything he had to sell. Soon after the war a change began and bus¬ iness became more arid more concentrated in Hag¬ erstown. The cross roads manufacturer gradually went, out of business. The wagon maker found that he could not compete with the great factory in the Western city either as to price or the qual¬ ity of the vehicle. The clumsy, three-horse, home¬ made bar shear plow gave place for file factory matte ’steel plow which was lighter for two horses than the home made plow was for three. And the tinner, and tailor and harness maker follow¬ ed Hie rest. As communication with Hagerstown became easier many of the country merchants went out of business. It was not only in providing better transpor¬ tation facilities that the enterprise of the people of the County exercised itself. There was a con¬ stant effort to establish factories. Early in the history of the County, as has been already told, there was a multitude of small industries built up by individual enterprise and giving employment each to a few operatives. In these enterprises the apprentice was an important personage. A young hoy would be taken to learn the trade. He served without wages until he arrived at the age of 21 years when he was discharged as a journeyman or engaged in that capacity by his employer. In the meantime he lived with his employer, or master, and was a member of the family. At the end of his apprenticeship he was entitled to a new suit of clothes and a small sum of money. This system educated mechanics of great skill who understood the whole business and were not specialists in any particular part of a work. The shoemaker could make an entire shoe, the bookbinder gauld bind a book, the wagonmakcr could make a wagon and After the close of the war there was a move¬ ment for industries, on a large Raw© few that were established at this time succeeded hut many of them ended in disaster. One enterprise which for a time caused men to refuse to embark in manufacturing was the Antictam Manufactur¬ ing Company. This concern was organized about IN tiff with an authorized capital stock of $100,000. Less than $100,000 was ever paid in and when that amount had been subscribed a fine mill was erected at Funkstown. the Antictam to be used as the motive power. The first plan was to make a woolen mill and after much money had been spent the plan was changed to a paper mill and then another change was made. Finally about 1N71 the enterprise collapsed with a heavy in- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 371 debtedness, and the courts decided that each of the stockholders was, in addition to the stock he had taken, liable to the creditors of the company for another sum equal to the amount of stock lie had taken. This caused a great deal of litigation and much distress. It also discouraged manu¬ facturing for some years. Another unsuccessful enterprise was the Wash¬ ington County Leather Manufacturing Company, organized in 1867 with Daniel Schindel, president. The capital was $50,000 and the tannery was lo¬ cated north of East Washington street in Hagers¬ town. The plant was destroyed by fire in 1872 and was not rebuilt. The Hagerstown Agricultural Implement Manufacturing Company which was incorporated January l, 1869, grew in a few years to great proportions. The incorporators were Abram Mil¬ ler, William Updegrfaff, A. E. Appleman, John H. Cook and William IT. Protzman. Mr. Apple- man was the moving spirit of the business. He was a man of indomitable energy and good busi¬ ness capacity. The company manufactured wheat drills, threshing machines, clover hullers, horse rakes and steam engines. Its works were on East Washington street in Hagerstown where it gave employment to about 200 men. About 1888 it removed from Hagerstown to Ohio where it con¬ tinued to prosper. On Baltimore street in South Hagerstown, just east of Potomac street Garver and Flannagan bad shops where they manufactured threshing ma¬ chines. This was changed in 1874 into the Hag¬ erstown Steam Engine and Machine Company of which Dr. Josiah F. Smith was President. It added the manufacture of steam engines and oth¬ er farm machinery to threshing machines. The company purchased the old McDowell & Bachtell foundry on Franklin and Foundry streets and erected a large additional building in which for a time a considerable manufacturing was done. But in a few years the business became unprofitable and was discontinued. About 1900 a portion of the property was sold to the Hagerstown Brewery and later on the'remainder was disposed of. In addition a number of wood working establish¬ ments were started during this period, the most successful of which was the Hagerstown Spoke Works organized by Charles W. Sebold in 18 r <3, which assumed large proportions and is prosperous at the present time. This prosperity was greatly promoted by the opening of the Shenandoah Val¬ ley railroad to Hagerstown in 1880 which gave access to the abundant timber of the Valley of Virginia. To few of its citizens does Plagerstown owe more than to William Updegraff. In every laud¬ able enterprise for the advancement of the public prosperity and welfare, Mr. Updegraff took a leading part through many years or lent a helping hand. Peter Updegraff, the grandfather of Wil¬ liam, pame to Hagerstown from York County, Pa., in the latter part of the eighteenth century and entered into business. His son George was born in Hagerstown in 1798. He learned the trade of hatter and engaged in the manufacture of hats. His wife, the mother of William, was Eliza Boyd, daughter of Joseph Boyd the proprietor of the National Line of coaches running between Balti¬ more and Wheeling. William Updegraff was born in Hagerstown June 22, 1832. He was edu¬ cated at the old Hagerstown Academy and then learned his father’s business, the manufacture of hats. In 1854 he engaged in manufacturing silk hats in Baltimore, but two years later when his father become ill he returned to Hagerstown and took charge of the business of George Updegraff & Sons, a business which he conducted with dis¬ tinguished success until a few years ago when he retired and gave his sons charge of it. After 1865, hat making by hand became almost a lost art and then Mr. Updegraff began the manufacture of gloves and thus started an industry that spread the fame of Hagerstown far and wide and gave employment to a large number of girls and women. During his long residence in Hagerstown there was scarcely a movement for a successful industry or for a needed public improvement which did not receive Mr. Updegraff’s aid or was not inaug¬ urated or suggested by him. As already said he was one of the originators of the Hagerstown Agri¬ cultural Implement Manufacturing Company; he lead in the organization of the Mechanics’ Loan and Savings Institute; he helped to start Eose Hill Cemetery; he was one of the originators of the Spoke Works; it was his business sagacity that started the Hagerstown Fair upon its marvelous career of success; he co-operated with Governor Hamilton and the others in obtaining for Hagers¬ town a new charter and getting the town paved and drained; he helped to organize the company which brought to Hagerstown the pure mountain water which has blessed the people for many years; by his aid the old oil lamps which had been the 372 HISTOEY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD only street lights of Hagerstown gave place to electric lighting and he was one of the most per¬ sistent. advocates of the street railway. His has been a busy and a useful career and a complete ac¬ count of it would amount almost to an industrial history of Hagerstown for a half a century. Mr. Updegraff’s wife was Laura A., daughter of Eli Mobley of Hagerstown, The couple have three daughters and three sons to take up their fath¬ er’s work. In 1800 when the craze for dividing fields into town lots seized upon the country, Hagers¬ town was affected with the rest, but unlike many other places it received a permanent advantage. This was because there was actual need of more lots for the growing population. In fact after the completion of the Shenandoah Valley railroad m 1880 the population doubled in a few years and there was actual need of more room for homes. Several ‘Tiand and Improvement” Companies were organized. These bought farms adjacent to the town limits and subdivided them. The offer made to factories of free sites brought several enterprises the most important of which was the Crawford’s Bicycle Works which in a few years gave employ¬ ment to as many as fifteen hundred hands. This was finally sold out to a bicycle trust and the work was closed to be revived later as an automobile fac¬ tory. About the time this was done Mr. Crawford himself returned and erecting another factory en¬ gaged in the same business. And so Hagerstown has at the present time two successful factories engaged in this promising industry. Among the oldest and most important industries of Washing¬ ton County was for many years the Round Top Cement Works at Hancock, owned until lately by Robert Bridges and Charles W. Henderson. The works were first established fn 1837 by a man named Shafer who supplied “Shafer’s Cement” for the construction of the canal. In 1863 Shafer sold the property to Bridges & Henderson who operated it successfully for forty years. There is a great deposit or rather extensive strata of the cement rock in the hill west of Hancock and the hill has been honeycombed with tunnels from which the rock has been taken. Robert Bridges the head of the business, has been for half a cen¬ tury one of the foremost and most prosperous cit¬ izens of Washington County. He married Pris¬ cilla Williams Breathed a sister of Major James Breathed the distinguished artillery officer in the Confederate Army. The manufacture of paper in Washington County was begun in 1859 by John W. Stone- braker. That year he built a paper mill in Funks- town, having already a woolen mill in that town which he inherited from his father. In the Funks- town mill he manufactured book and news paper. In 18G1 he sold this mill and built a more exten¬ sive one higher up the Antietam about two miles east of Hagerstown. This fine mill was burned in 1873 and was replaced by a much larger one in which John A. Dushane of Baltimore, was a part¬ ner for a number of years, Mr. Stonebraker finally purchasing his interest. Down to the present time the Antietam Paper Mill has been one of the im¬ portant industries of Washington County. Mr. Stonebraker also engaged largely in the manufac¬ ture of fertilizers and now operates at Funkstown a large flouring mill. Few men have contributed more to the wealth and prosperity of Washington County than John W. Stonebraker. He not only contributed these important industries which give employment to many operatives, but he has been a progressive and enterprisng farmer and has given his time and business ability to the public in the office of County Commissioner which he held for a number of years. In this office he administered the finances of the County, which was then laboring under a heavy bonded debt, with wisdom and all its affairs with economy and success. He was the taxpayers’ best friend and it was largely through his influ¬ ence and the confidence reposed in him by the late John Nicodemus of Boonsboro that gave to the County the magnificent farm for the County Almshouse and rescued the poor inmates of that institution from the wretched building in Hagers¬ town which had long brought discredit upon the County. The present Alms House or Bellevue Asylum as it is called, was built in 1879 and 1880 while Mr. Stonebraker was President of the Board of County Commissioners. It was also while he was President of the County Commissioners that the arrangement was made whereby Washington County was relieved of the annual payment of 6 per cent, interest on $300,000 of the bonds of the Western Maryland Railroad Company, receiving $324,000 of preferred stock for the sums already paid, a transaction which years later resulted so ad¬ vantageously for the County. In his administra¬ tion of County affairs he was greatly aided by John L. Biklc the clerk of the Commissioners, a man of sterling honesty and of fine ability. John OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 373 W. Stonebraker comes of a family that lived in the Funkstown district since the earliest settle¬ ments of Washington County. His father Girard Stonebraker, was captain of a company raised in Washington County in the war of 1812. His wife was Catherine Schroeder and this couple were the parents of seven children of whom John W T . was the youngest. He was born September 28, 1828, on the farm near Funkstown. He removed to Hagerstown in 1859. In politics he is a repub¬ lican and by that party was elected County Com¬ missioner in 1875, 1877 and 1881. In 1849 he married Miss Laura L. McCardell, daughter of William McCardell. They had one son, J. Ells¬ worth Stonebraker, who engaged in business with his father, and three daughters. The movement for taking the Alms House out of Hagerstown to a healthy location in the country where those able to work could find wholesome employment, was begun in 1873 by Dr. Thomas Maddox. This public spirited and humane citi¬ zen Iiad long been scandalized by the condition and surroundings of the paupers in the old Alms House in Hagerstown. He had long written for the County papers articles setting forth abuses of a shocking character and the inhuman treatment of the insane which was in strict consonace with the common practice of the times. _ At a meeting of a Farmers Club, composed of a number of the most enlightened farmers in the County, held in 1873, Dr. Maddox read a paper in which he advo¬ cated the purchase of a farm by the County and the erection thereupon of a suitable Alms House which should take the place of the old and dilapi¬ dated building in Hagerstown. The plan met with the unanimous approval of the club which numbered in its membership some of the largest tax payers, and a committee was appointed to present the views of the Club to the County Com¬ missioners. This committee was composed of Dr. Thomas Maddox and Andrew Kershner Stake the secretary of the Club. So well did they perform their mission that the County Commissioners be¬ came favorable to the plan and the passage of an enabling act of Assembly Was procured. After the enactment of the law and while the matter was still in abeyance John Nicodemus, a wealthy citizen of Boonsboro, after a long conference with. John W. StonebraD"', the President of the Coun¬ ty Commissioners, purchased for the County a farm owned by Thomas Spickler containing 112 acres of fertile land, beautifully situated near the northern limits of Hagerstown. It was a part of the old Carroll estate and cost Mr. Nicodemus $12,500. In November 1880 at the Congressional election the question of the removal of the Alms House to the farm was submitted to the people who decided in the affirmative by a large majority. Thereupon the present Alms House was erected and the cost paid largely by the sale of the old property in Hagerstown and some shares of the capital stock of the Western Maryland Railroad Company. The entire cost of the building was $26,- 00®. The inmates of the poor house were removed into the new building in July 1880. The name of the place “Bellevue” was selected by John L. Bikle, then clerk of the County Commissioners and he was afterwards much surprised to learn that without knowing it, he had selected the original name of the place. In point of fact the view com¬ manded by the location is a magnificent panorama and the name is well selected. In consequence of the movement started by Dr. Maddox and of the generosity of John Nicodemus, the wards of Washington County are in the enjoyment of a refuge such as few people in their condition can boast. Their location is healthful and the sur¬ roundings beautiful and best of all those able to work can contribute to their own support by whole¬ some and honest labor. The old Alms House which was vacated when Bellevue was occupied, was built in 1799 and 1800 and occupied the latter year. The trustees by whom it was built were Henry Schnebly, William Heyser and George Ney. It was situated in the eastern part of Hagerstown near the Cavetown pike and was never well adapted to the purpose for which it was built. But while all the efforts to improve the condi¬ tion of the County were going on the most import¬ ant of all was progressing so quietly that the pro¬ gress almost escaped attention. From the very first settlement of the Ya.lley of the Antietam agriculture had been the chief occupation of the people. Upon it they had subsisted in comfort, had lived frugal lives and had secured such a measure of happiness as comes to a contented peo¬ ple. But none grew wealthy. If those fortunate persons to whom great tracts of land had been granted in the early settlement, or who acquired land when it was worth hut a dollar or two to the acre had retained their possessions in their families there would have been a wealthy landed aristoc¬ racy. But fortunately this did not happen. The 374 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD great manors and land grants were speedily divid¬ ed up and sold in small tracts to thrifty and in¬ dustrious farmers, mostly of German blood, some of whom came direct from the Fatherland and others drifting over the line from Pennsylvania. And thus it came to pass'that the mass of the people of this valley had little in common with the older counties of the State, in customs, religion or sympathies. It is true, as has already been stated, that some of the earliest settlers who obtained large land grants were men of English blood who came from the tidewater counties. These men were for some years the leaders and representatives in Congress and at Washington. Among them were John Thompson Mason who came from Vir¬ ginia and took the great Montpelier estate from his uncles John and Richard Barnes, of St. Mary’s County; Samuel Ringgold, to whom Conoco- cheague manor, twenty thousand of the fairest and most fertile acres were granted, the Tilgh- mans, the Fitzhughs, the Chews, who had Chew’s manor along the Potomac, Joseph Chapline, Thom¬ as Cressap, who was born in England, the Hugheses and at a later date Gen. Otho Holland Williams. Most of these familes have disappeared from Wash¬ ington County. The principal crops in the County from the very beginning were wheat and corn. The set¬ tlers from the tidewater introduced the culture of tobacco and for some years it was raised in small quantities, especially in Pleasant Valley. The only way to reach market in that early time was by roll¬ ing the hogshead in which the tobacco was packed over the mountain to Frederick. The difficulty in the way of marketing this crop were so great that it was speedily abandoned. In order to re¬ duce the bulk of the corn which w'as sold, instead of being fed to cattle and turned into meat, it was distilled into whiskey and that which was not con¬ sumed at home, the consumption being generous, it was sent in wagons, or on the keel boats down the river to Georgetown which was a good market at the head of the Potomac navigation and acces¬ sible to vessels from the old country , as well as from the tidewater sections of the State. And thus .it came to pass that Washington pounty be¬ came a great whiskey producing County and took part in the whiskey insurrection. Wheat soon became the chief crop and the great staple as it is today. The fertile limestone land of the valley is admirably adapted to its growth and the splendid water power of the An- tietam, the Conococheague and dozens of smaller streams furnished the power for the conversion of the wheat crop into flour. And so Washington County has for a century and a half furnished a great quantity of breadstuff for Baltimore after supplying the home demand and that of nearer neighbors. The methods of cultivating wheat be¬ fore the war had been primitive and improvements had advanced slowly. The sickle of the early set¬ tler had given place to the “cradle” in the har¬ vest field and the flail and treading with horses had been superseded by the thresher and the drill was introduced. Even with the primitive methods and the high wages demanded by harvest hands there was a profit in wheat growing because the demand for bread was never more than met and the price of wheat was uniformly high. But after the war railroads began to stretch out across the virgin prairies, immigrants from the Eastern States and Europe began to flock to the plains car¬ rying vigor and industry. In a few years the wheat crop of this section began to flood the East¬ ern and European markets and the price of wheat began to go down and the Washington County farmer found that he was not making a profit on his crop. Then it was that a'n earnest effort be¬ gan for better farming. The Hagerstown Mail, conducted from 1874 down to 1891 by Edwin Bell and Thomas J. C. Williams, lent itself with intelli¬ gence and enthusiasm to the movement and every advance was recorded and its adoption urged. Three farmers who took a conspicuous part in the agricultural movement were Dr. Thomas Maddox, William T. Hamilton and Isaac Hotter. Dozens of others joined in. These three men experiment¬ ed with fertilizers and machines and seed and told the farmers Club of the result and wrote for the public press making practical suggestions. The use of chemical fertilizers of which bone was the body, was introduced in Washington County by Dr. Maddox and soon became general, the prep¬ aration of the fields was more careful and more attention was given to the use of clover as a fer¬ tilizer as well as a fodder crop. In a few 3 'ears the average yield of wheat to the acre had in¬ creased fifty per cent, and now about a million and a half bushels are produced annually. Along with this increase there has been a still greater increase in the production of many other crops on the farm, such as poultry, dairy products, clover seed and fruit. The threshing of wheat by steam power be- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAKYLAND. 375 gan here in 1870. On September 7 of that year the following appeared in the Hagerstown Herald and Torch Light: “On Monday last, by invitation, we visited the farm of Mr. Walter, near town, on the Leiters- burg Turnpike, where we witnessed the operation of Threshing by Steam. We there found a ten- horse power Engine, manufactured by Prick & Co., Waynesboro’, Pa., attached to the new and celebrat¬ ed Thresher and Separator manufactured by Gar- ver & Flanagan, of Hagerstown, Md., and never be¬ fore having had the pleasure of seeing steam used for the same purpose, we are free to confess that our anticipations were more than realized. The Engine performed admirably, whilst the Thresher and Separator did even more than its most san¬ guine friends ever claimed for it. It is a noble machine, and reflects great credit upon its inven¬ tors and builders, having threshed, cleaned and bagged one bushel per minute, notwithstanding the bad condition of the wheat, much of it be¬ ing wet, and very badly tangled. A number of farmers witnessed the operation and all were loud in their praise of the results. We understand that a company of enterprising gentlemen have it in contemplation to purchase the whole outfit. We hope to see this accomplished for many reasons, prominent among which are the saving of labor and horse flesh.” The improvement of the threshing outfit went along steadily until the present machine was per¬ fected which feeds the sheaves into the cylider, cuts the twine, threshes, cleans and weighs the grain and by means of a blast carries the straw into a symmetrical rick and threshing 1000 bush¬ els a day and over with a half a dozen hands where fifteen or twenty were formerly employed. The most important improvement in wheat ma¬ chinery, however, was the binding reaper. The cost of harvesting the wheat crop and hauling it to mill had always been estimated at one-fourth of the value of the crop. This cost was greatly reduced by this splendid machine. The gang of a dozen or more men in the harvest field, each re¬ ceiving from $1.75 to $2.50 per day wages, was reduced to four men—and the work done so much better that it no longer pays to rake the ordinary harvest field after the binder has gone over it. When the binder was first introduced it caused great discontent among the farm laboring people and threats were made to destroy them. But in a few years the labor of the rural districts largely found employment in other fields, in the factories and on the railroads, and it soon became more difficult to obtain the smaller number of laborers on the farm than it had been to get the greater number. An important movement in agriculture took place along about 1880 when Mr. John A. Nico- demus, Mitchell Stover, Wm. D. Hughes and other intelligent farmers living along the foot of South Mountain near Smithsburg discovered that the rough mountain sides are well adapted to the growth of peaches. Mr. Stover had a nursery near Greencastle and having more peach trees one year than he could sell he proposed, after consult¬ ing with his relative, John Reichard, a nursery¬ man of Washington County, to Mr. Nicodemus to plant the trees on his mountan land as an experiment. Mr. Nicodemus entered into the ar¬ rangement and that was the beginning of the “Mountain peach” industry. At once land from which the timber had been cut and which had been considered almost worthless became valuable and commanded high prices. It was found that peaches grown upon this soil were peculiarly beautiful and delicious and they commanded higher prices in market than fruit from other sections. It was also proved that the crop on the mountain side was not so liable to injury by frost in the early spring. At once a great industry sprang up and the “mountain peaches” were in demand in every city. Hundreds of thousands 'of trees were set out and Mr. Emory Pry and his brother who lived on the shoulder of Elk Ridge Mountain near Keedysville, enjoyed the distinction of having one of the largest orchards in Maryland, numbering no less than 50,000 trees. Methods of cultivation and fertilizing which peach growers up to that time had not deemed necessary, were introduced and the intelligent methods of packing and ship¬ ping the fruit, and the use of refrigerator cars made it possible to distribute the products of the Washington County orchards over a large part of the country. One great advantage this peach region had over that of the tidewater coun¬ ties was that one fine variety, the “'Heath Cling,” ripens in Washington County after every peach has disappeared from the orchards of the Eastern Shore. Being the only peaches obtainable and also being especially delicious these peaches com¬ manded high prices and brought a great deal of money to the County. But the peach industry speedily reached high tide and declined. Peach 376 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD trees in limestone soil are short lived and 'those in the mountain, freestone soil and in Pleas¬ ant Valley where the soil is free stone, did not live as long as had been anticipated and Lhe setting out of new trees did not keep pace with the destruction caused by ‘'yellows” and the San Jose Scale. Nevertheless the attention of the people, once directed to fruit culture they did not confine themselves to peaches but planted large ap¬ ple orchards and many found profit, especially in Pleasant Valley in the cultivation of small fruit and conteloupes. Methods were found to protect peach and apple trees from the “scale” and the cultivation of the peach has gone along success¬ fully though to a reduced extent, and the plant¬ ing of thousands of apple trees has brought much profit and wealth to Washington County. The Hagerstown Pair has through many years been one of the important agencies in the im¬ provement of argiculture in Washington County and especially by the introduction of labor saving machinery, good live stock and poultry. After a mere existence of almost three-quarters of a century this Pair about 25 years ago took on new life and speedily became one of the most notable and best agricultural exhibitions in the land. Its best features have been the machinery exhibits* the poultry show and the live stock. It came to pass that a prize for poultry won at Hagerstown is considered by poultry fanciers more valuable than one from any other poultry show. An Act of Assembly passed in 1807 authorized the first Agricultural Society of Washington County. It was organized the next year with Thomas Sprigg, president; Frisby Tilghman, secretary, and Charles Carroll treasurer. In order to raise $2,000 which was needed a lottery was formed by a committee consisting of William Fitzhugh, Sr., Charles Car- roll, John Thompson Mason, Samuel Ringgold and Martin Kershner. This Agricultural organ¬ ization was not permanent. It was succeeded by another society in 1827. The present society, known as the Agricultural and Mechanical Asso¬ ciation of Washington County was chartered in • 1854. The incorporators were David Brumbaugh, John Ash, Lewis P. Fiery, James Coudy, Jacob Fiery* Martin Startzman, John H. Ileyser, Henry K. Tice and Marmaduke W. Boyd. The first fair ground of this society was on the edge of Hag¬ erstown along the Williamsport pike. There it remained until 1871 when a tract of 14 acres lying on the Cearfoss turnpike adjacent to the town, was purchased from Richard Wise for $2,500 and the fair was held there until 1880. There were two railroads to be crossed in reaching the fair grounds from the town and it was not considered accessible. In 1880 the present magnificent site was purchased from George W. Harris and it contains over 30 acres. From that time to the present the annual exhibitions have been held in this place and have become famous throughout the Eastern States. Several circumstances have con¬ tributed to this marvelous success. One has been the accessibility of Hagerstown by rail from every direction and by turnpike roads from every dis¬ trict of Washington County. In close touch with Hagerstown are many populous towns, directly connected by rail, such as Winchester, Charles¬ town, Berryville, Martinsburg, Frederick, Cham- bersburg, Carlisle, Harrisburg, Westminster and Waynesboro, besides the villages and fertile farms of the rich neighboring counties in the three adjoining States. Baltimore and Wash¬ ington have always contributed largely to the an¬ nual gatherings. The beginning of the long ca¬ reer of prosperity which the Hagerstown Fair has enjoyed was due to the business sagacity of William Updegraff. Mr. Updegraff went intp the management of the society as vice-president in 1880. Charles W. Humrichouse was elected the next year president and filled the office with dignity and marked ability for many years. Mr. Updegraff recognized the fact that if every farm¬ er in Washington County came to the Fair their attendance would not be sufficient to give a proper support. He therefore proposed that features should be added which would attract others be¬ sides farmers and that would bring enough reve¬ nues to make the Fair one which would be more valuable to the agriculture of the County than it had ever been before. The event proved the correctness of this theory. The attractions offered at the Fair of 1880 were a great fireman’s parade one day and an Odd Fellows’ parade the next. The attendance to witness these things was very large and that put the Fair upon the high road to prosperity. For many years John W. Stone- braker was president of the Fair Association and contributed largely to its prosperity. The annual fairs are great events in Hagerstown and when they open the town is overcrowded with visitors and there is animation and movement in all di- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. • 377 rections. Among the men who have contributed largely to this great enterprise besides those al¬ ready mentioned are David Brumbaugh who was president for many years, Peter A. Witmer, who had the practical management of details for a long term, Henry A. McComas, who was faithful to the Association in its weakness and when it became strong, George W. Harris, George M. Stonebraker, Charles Baechtel, George Hager, D. H. Staley and many others. CHAPTER XXV N THE night of the fifth of December, 1871, a fire which started in an agricul¬ tural implement store on Antietam street, opposite the Baltimore & Ohio railroad station, destroyed St. John’s Episcopal Church on South Jonathan street, and the Court House. These were two of the most imposing buildings in Hagerstown. Both of them were built about 1820. It was believed that the fire was started by an incendiary. A high wind was blowing at the time, and the business part of the town was in great danger; it was saved from destruction only by the determined work of the fire companies, aid¬ ed by the citizens generally. Then, and for many years afterwards, the only water supply for the fire engines was from the Oak Spring, Ladle Spring and several large public cisterns. There was one steam fire engine, and several which were operated by hand. With this 'imperfect apparatus the town was saved, the damage to the other build¬ ings which took fire being slight. The reason the church and .Court House could not be saved was that both were covered with shingle roofs high and inaccessible to the firemen. In attempting to reach the Court House cupola, John Fridinger, a fireman, was killed by the fall of the cupola, and Henry Bester was severely hurt. In the follow¬ ing May, while the walls of the old Court House were being razed, to make place for the new build¬ ing, a rear wall fell upon three workmen, namely, Alexander Smith, Wesley Finnegan and Freder¬ ick Fridinger, and crushed them to death. By a strange chance one of the killed, Frederick Frid¬ inger, a youth of seventeen years, was a son of John Fridinger, who lost his life in the fire. The actual values destroyed by the fire was not large. All the land and other records of the County and the wills and papers in the office of the Register of Wills were in good fire proof vaults, one in the clerk’s office and one in the office of the Register of Wills. All these records were uninjured. There was some discoloration, by smoke, but no substantial harm was done. The papers and rec¬ ords of the County Commissioners office were in an iron safe, and they too escaped injury. On the Court House there was no insurance. The building had cost originally about $70,000 but it was not a well arranged Court House and its destruction caused no permanent loss to the peo¬ ple. In its issue of December 13, 1871, the Herald and Torch Light said: ‘•'As the venerable Temple of Justice was fall¬ ing a prey to the flames, there were not a few of our older citizens who gazed upon it with sad¬ dened eyes, and called from the store-house of memory many pleasant and possibly also some unpleasant associations with it. The last trials that took place in the original Court House, which stood in the Public Square, were those of the three Cotterills, father and two sons, convicted and hung for the murder of Adams, their uncle, the parties being all Englishmen. This was at the November Term in the year 1819, the executions having taken place in the month of February 1820, so that the first Court must have been held in the late building in March of that year. We are informed that it was commenced about the year 1818 and completed two years thereafter. Its original cost was not less than sixty or seventy thousand dollars, and the frequent alterations to 380 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD which it was subjected, from time to time, no doubt doubled this amount. But it has passed away, as its builders, its early Bench and Bar, its Jurors and Officers, and all persons and things must do from this perishable world.’’’ On St. John’s Church there was an insurance of $3,000 only, and on the organ $500. The cost of the building had been about $25,000. It was two years before the new Court House was com¬ pleted, and during that time the sessions of Court were held in the Sunday School room in the Meth¬ odist Church on North Jonathan street, which was rented by the County Commissioners. In this time the trial of Joseph Davis for murder was removed from Carroll County, and “Junior Hall,” a large apartment in the building of the Junior Fire Com¬ pany on North Potomac street, was rented for the Court, as the trial attracted more persons than could be accommodated in the basement of the church. It was several months before the County Commissioners decided to erect an entirely new Court House. Many persons were in favor of using the old walls, which were exceedingly mas¬ sive and strong. But a meeting of the Bar was called, and resolutions were adopted favoring a *The newspaper account of the proceedings, pub¬ lished at the time, is as follows: “At 1 o’clock, P. M., the Masonic Fraternity as¬ sembled at their Hall, corner of Franklin and Poto¬ mac Streets. The Lodge was opened by Worship¬ ful Master, Edward Stake, who then handed the emblem of his office to P. M. Thos A. Boullt, and requested him to conduct the services on the oc¬ casion. The procession was formed under the direc¬ tion of the Chief Marshal, P. M. Andrew K. Syester and his Aids P. M. Wm. McK. Keppler, F. D. Herbert and Richard Sheckles. “At 2 o’clock, P M., the procession moved from the Hall, headed by the old Hagerstown Silver Cor¬ net Band, and marched directly to the site of the new Court House, when the Lodge was again in form by P. M. Thos. A. Boullt, assisted by P. M. William Steffey, D. M., Dr. Augustus A. Biggs, S W., Andrew K. Stake, J. W. “After the Lodge was opened the W. Master in¬ formed the brethren and all assembled, that Friend¬ ship Lodge No. 84, had assembled for the purpose of laying the Foundation Stone of the New Court House, and through his officers directed that ‘all having due notice thereof should govern themselves accord¬ ingly.’ After music by the Band, and Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. A. G. Harley, the W. Master re¬ quested the Treasurer, H. A. McComas, to read the inscription on the Stone and a list of the contents of the box to be deposited therein. This part of the ceremony was performed in a clear and distinct voice. The contents are as follows: “A. L. 1572; names of County Commissioners building upon a plan different from the old one. Accordingly, a contract was made with Robert O. Thornburg, a builder, to tear down the old walls. The selection of plans for the new Court House was entrusted to a committee of the Bar, com¬ posed of Andrew K. Syester, George Schley, John C. Zeller, Francis M. Darby, Albert Small, Henry Kyd Douglas and George W. Smith, Jr. Designs submitted by H. A. and J. P. Sims, of Philadel¬ phia, were chosen, and on Wednesday, October 9, 1872 the cornerstone of the new building was laid. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone was in charge of Friendship Lodge No. 84 of Masons, of Hagerstown.* The County Commissioners accepted the building, and held their first meeting in it on the second of January, 1874. The first term of the Cir¬ cuit Court to be held in the spacious chamber of the new building was in April of that year, the Judges on the bench being Richard H. Alvey, chief; William Hotter and George H. Pearre, as¬ sociates. The Clerk of the Court was George B. Oswald; the Register of Wills, Thomas. E. Hil¬ liard. The new Court House was well adapted to its uses, the vaults for the records being spa- of Wash. Co.; Attorney for County Commissioners and Clerk of same; Contractor of Building; Archi¬ tect of Building Superintendent of Building; Mem¬ bers of Masonic Lodges and By-Laws of same in ’ Washington Co.; Proceedings of G. Lodge of Md.; Governor and officers of the State of Maryland; Judges of the Circuit Court for Wash. Co.; Clerk of the Court; Register of Wills; Sheriff and all other County Officers; names of all the members practicing at the Bar of Hagerstown, and their rate table; Mu¬ nicipal Officers of Hagerstown; Newspapers of Wash. Co.; Coins and Currencies of this date. “The W. Master and his officers then descended from the platform to the Corner Stone, after spread¬ ing the Cement the Stone was lowered to its place, and then the ancient ceremony of trying it with the square, level and plumb. Corn, Wine and Oil were strewed upon it, emblematic of the Corn of nourish¬ ment, Wine of refreshment and Oil of joy. After music by the Band, the benediction was pronounced, and the procession returned to the Hall. “The procession was large and highly respect¬ able, numbering about one hundred and fifty Ma¬ sons, members of the following Lodges:—Friendship, No. 84, Hagerstown; Eureka, No. 105, Sharpsburg; Mediary, No. 140, Williamsport; Acacie, No. 155, Mechanicstown, Frederick County; Warren, No. 51, Baltimore; Door to Virtue No. 46, Westminster; Columbia, No. 58, Frederick City; Plymouth, No. 143, Union Bridge. There were also Masons in the procession representing Lodges from Ohio, Pennsyl¬ vania, Indiana and West Virginia.’’ OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 381 cious and safe. In the architecture there was perhaps too great an attempt at ornamentation. The cost of the building was about $80,000. The County Commissioners who had charge of the erection of the Court House were the boards elec¬ ted in 1871 and 1873. The former was composed of Theodore Embrey, Henry F. Neilrirk, Samuel Strife, Henry W. Lyday and John II. Harp, all republicans but Mr. Neikirk. The second board, which closed the work and accepted the building from Robert Thornburg, the contractor, was com¬ posed of John Fessler, Joseph Seibert, Henry Funk, Elias Young and George W. Brown, all Democrats.* The rebuilding of the Episcopal Church did not begin as promptly as the work on the Court House. There were two obstacles. One was the necessity of collecting sufficient funds to justify the beginning of the work. The other was a difference among members of the congregation as to the location of the new edifice. Some of the vestry, among them the venerable Benjamin Reigle, were strongly opposed to removal. But the ma¬ jority, headed by the Rector, believed it unwise to build a fine church on a narrow, noisy busi¬ ness street, almost adjacent to the railroad sta¬ tion. This view prevailed, and a splendid lot on the corner of Prospect and Antietam street, at the Dry Bridge, in one of the highest elevations in the town, was purchased from Col. George Schley. Just before the destruction of the old church, in December, 1871, the Rector of the Parish— the Rev. Claudius B. Haines—resigned. The Rev. Walter A. Mitchell, then in Howard Coun- ty, was called and he arrived in the beginning of January, 1872, to find his church in ruins. The congregation of Zion Reformed Church tendered to the Episcopalians the use of their Sunday- school room and in that room the churchless con¬ gregation worshipped for many months. In the meantime, Mr. Mitchell was actively at work, se¬ curing subscriptions to the new church and arrang¬ ing for plans. The building committee was com¬ posed as follows :The Rev. W. A. Mitchell, Dr. Frederick Dorsey, George W. Harris and George W. Pole. The architect was E. T. Littell, of New York, and the plans he drew produced one of the most beautiful churches in Maryland. Work be¬ gan on the church in xlugust, 1872, and the cor¬ nerstone was laid September 4, of that year. By October 1873, the work had so far pro- *The following description of the building was published in the Hagerstown newspapers in January 1874: The main front building is 91 feet, 6 inches x 56 feet 9 inches; the rear building is 62 feet 6 inches x 59 feet 6 inches, with a 15 feet story both front and rear; front building has a corridor in the centre which runs back to its rear wall; the rear building has also one 10 feet wide. On the right is the Reg¬ ister’s office, 34x26 feet 6 inches, the record rooms being a double vaulted arch, with iron frame and shutter on the inside of windows, 5 feet wide and 10 feet high with semi-circular head. The Clerk’s office is on the left of the corridor, and is of the same dimensions and finish as the Register’s office.— The first space occupied in the rear of these rooms on the right and left, are the massive public and private stairways leading to the second floor, which are built of solid oak; the first room on the left is the Sheriff’s office, 12x20 feet; the 2d is the Collec¬ tor's office, 12x20 feet, and the third is the School Commissioners’ room, 26x20 feet. On the right is the County Commissioners’ room, 38x20 feet, which completes the space of the lower floor. Ascending the stairway, we enter a corridor 10 feet wide, on the right of which is the Grand Jury room, 24x20 feet, and Petit Jury room 14^x20 feet, and on the left is the State’s Attorney’s room, 12x20 feet; a room set apart for the use of the School Commissioners, but not occupied by them, and anoth¬ er Petit Jury room. The Court room is entered from the head of the public and private stairways and corridor, and is 75x50 feet, with a 20 feet ceiling, very handsomely finished in stucco. The Hall is lighted by eleven circular head windows, 6 feet wide and 15 feet high, with the best double thick glass, and is finished with paneling and wainscotting.— The bar rail is solid walnut and oak finely finished in oil, and the Judges’ stand and Clerk’s desk are also handsomely finished. In the rear of the Judges stand are the witness and council rooms, each 12x 24 feet. There is a cellar under the entire building, eight feet in height, and it is surmounted by a substantial and beautiful Mansard roof, ornamented with pa- villions; covered with best Buckingham slate. The building is estimated to contain from 800,000 to 1,- 000,000 of brick, and an immense amount of timber, but of the latter no approximate estimate can be formed. The Court Hall and corridors are heated by three of the fine furnaces of Messrs. Bellman, Armstrong & Co., of this town. The Architects were H. A. & J. P. Sims, 1426 Walnut Street, Philadelphia; Contractor and Builder, R. C. Thornburg; Superintendent of Mason work, John Overmyer; Painter and Glazier, George Lias; Slaters, Beck and Bowers;—Tinning and Plumbing, Gar linger & Co.; Plasterer, John Lushbaugh; the galvanized iron was furnished by Messsr. William P. Gephart & Co., of Dayton, Ohio, but now of Wash¬ ington, D. C., and the Gas fixtures were furnished by Messrs. Baker & Arnold, Philadelphia. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD gressed that the Sunday school room in the base¬ ment could be used for the church services. Two years later, the body of the church was completed and ready for occupancy. On October 11, 1875, the opening services were held, the sermon being preached by the Righ Rev. Theodore Lyman, Bish¬ op of North Carolina, and a former rector of St. John’s Parish. At this time the tower of the church had been built, but the spire was left for a future time. The work of completion was un¬ dertaken in 1881 by Mr. Columbus C. Baldwin, a wealthy citizen of New York, born in Maryland. His wife who was Sallie Roman, daughter of J. Dixon Roman, had died some years before, and this beautiful stone tower and spire were erected as a memorial to her. In the tower Mr. Baldwin placed a peal of bells. Some years later, the church was further improved and beautified by Mrs. Henry Rosenburg, and a reredos and chancel window were erected as a memorial to her father, Dr. Charles Macgill. In the rear of the church fronting on Antietam street about 1888, Mrs. *The Hagerstown Mail in November, 1885, pub¬ lished the following: St. John’s Episcopal Church on Prospect Street, the third church of the parish, is now so far complet¬ ed as to be fit for occupancy. The Sunday School room, under the rear end of the church, has been used for holding services since October, 1873. Our readers will recollect that the old church on Jonathan Street was destroyed by fire with the Court House on the night of December 23, 1871. This was quite an old building, having been built in the early part of the century, to replace the first church, which stood upon the site of the present Episcopal burying ground opposite the seminary. Just before the fire, the former popular Rector, the Rev. Mr. Haines, had tendered his resignation, and the present Rector, the Rev. W. A. Mitchell, was called by the vestry to fill the position. Upon the arrival of Mr. Mitchell in the spring of 1872 he turn¬ ed his attention to rebuilding the church_ and it is mainly owing to his exertions and untiring energy that the congregation are so soon provided with one of the handsomest churches in the diocese. The new church is situated on the corner of Prospect and Antietam Streets, in the most com¬ manding situation of the town. The architecture is Gothic, and the shape cruciform. The plan seems almost faultless. The material of which the walls are constructed is the native blue hammered lime¬ stone. The following is a list of persons employed upon the building: Building Committee—Rev. W. A. Mitchell, Dr. Fred’k Dorsey, Geo. W. Harris and Geo. W. Pole, Esq'rs. Architect—E. T. Littell, of New York. Contractor of Masonry—Wm. Eyerly. Frances Kennedy built a useful Parish House, as a memorial to her two deceased sons, Frank and Howard Kennedy.* •• The Episcopal Church seems to have been the first religious denomination to establish itself within the limits of Washington County. It was at the time the established church in Maryland. Many of the largest landowners were of that faith, and places of worship were provided by the Leg¬ islature. The whole County was contained in All Saints Parish, Frederick County. A small chapel was built at an early date in the woods between the present College of St. James and the Sharps- burg turnpike, which is still known as “Chapel Woods.” In 1761 a petition was sent to the leg¬ islature representing that this chapel was decayed and too small to contain the congregation, and asking for a more commodious place of worship. This was built, but it has long since disappeared, and the site is marked only by a number of grave stones, which still remain. In 1770, St. John’s Parish which included Contractor of Outside Carpenters’ Work, Roof, &c.—C. W. Stover. Contractor for Finishing Inside—R. C. Thorn¬ burg. Plasterer—John Lushbaugh. Heating Apparatus—Oscar Bellman. The seating capacity of the church is 450, the pews are of handsome oiled walnut and chestnut, and there are three aisles, one central and two sides. The walls are a neutral drab color, and wains- cotted 4 feet from the floor, with alternated beaded walnut and chestnut planks, oiled. The ceiling is open, and is painted cobalt blue, the rafters and braces chocolate color, chamfered with vermillion. The church is finished with walnut_ and the furniture is of the same wood, made by Lamb, of New York. The Vestry room and organ chamber are in the angle of the south transcept and chancel, the latter divided from the chancel by open screen work. The windows, made by Messrs. Stack & Booth, of Orange, New Jersey, are exceedingly handsome and rich in their coloring. The central light of the chancel window is a figure of St. John, the two side lights, figured stained glass, the three upper circular win¬ dows are figures of adoring angels with trumpet, lute and harp. There are three handsome windows in the south transcept, one, the subject of which is the Annunciation and Nativity, contributed by the Sunday School of the church, costing about $160. Another, representing the Presentation in the Tem¬ ple and our Lord among the Doctors, is memorial of the late Major Holker Hughes; the window in mem¬ ory of Miss Anna Fitzhugh, is triangular, and rep¬ resents the adoration of the wise men. In the north transcept is a large circular window representing the Ascension. 'The other windows are of diamond¬ shaped buff with stained glass. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 383 all of the State west of South Mountain except Pleasant Valley, was created. At that time the Rev. Bennett Allen, Rector of All Saints, Frederick, resided in Elizabeth Town, and had a curate to look after the parish church in Frederick. Mr. Allen was an Englishman and when the Revolu¬ tion began he returned to his native country. One of the early clergymen of the Episcopal Church to make his home in Washington County was the Rev. Bartholomew Booth. He was a na¬ tive of England and a descendant or relative of Lord Delamere. He took his degree at Oxford in 1754; in the next year he was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Chester, and in 1758 was elevated to the priesthood. About 1770 he came to Amer¬ ica, and settled in Frederick County at the eastern foot of South Mountain near the present town of Burkittsville. His home there was “Needwood,” afterwards owned by Governor Thomas Sim Lee, whose descendants owned it until a few years ago. At the beginning of the Revolution, the clergymen of the Church of England, or the Epis¬ copal Church, as it was called in this country, did not enjoy the popular favor. Many of them were men of “carnal minds,” sent over from Eng¬ land to enjoy livings secured for them by family influence, who were more interested in fox-hunting than in doing the work of an evangelist. These men were supported by taxation, and the people resented it. Some of them, however, were men of genuine piety and a few were Americans who had gone to England for ordination. These Americans, like the rest, had been required to take the oath of allegiance to the British Gov¬ ernment at their ordination, and they, as a rule felt that oath binding upon their conscience until the government had given place to another which demanded their allegiance. This natural senti¬ ment of honest men produced the impression among their neighbors that these clergymen were “Tories” and some of them suffered a measure -of proscription and some persecution. All were inhibited from conducting public worship and preaching. Bartholomew Booth suffered with the rest and so pronounced did the hostility of the people around him become, that he fled' across the mountain to Washington County, and settled down on the banks of the Antietam where Beaver Creek flows into it—a place of great natural beau¬ ty, popularly known as the “Devil’s Back Bone.’' It was just at this point that Braddock’s Army crossed the Antietam some twenty years before. Mr. Booth purchased here a large tract of land, which he called “Delamere” after the title of the Booth family in England. Upon a commanding eminence above the brawling creek he built his home, and later, a mill, turned by the waters of the creek. This mill, known as the “Delamere Mill,” under the successive ownership of many possessors, continued to supply the surrounding country with flour and lumber until it was de¬ stroyed by fire near the end of the nineteenth cen¬ tury. The old homestead and a part of the great Booth tract is now owned by Dr. William Booth living at present in Colorado, a descendant of Bartholomew. Other portions of the original tract are also owned by descendants of the Rev. Mr. Booth, brothers and sisters of Dr. Booth. Bartholomew Booth established a school at Dele- mere which gained a high reputation. Here he instructed sons of many prominent people. Among the patrons of his school were Robert Mor¬ ris, Edward Sliippen of Philadelphia, Gen. Bene¬ dict Arnold, Gen. Charles Lee and Mrs. Hannah Washington. The son of the latter, who attended school at Delemere was afterwards Justice Wash¬ ington of the Supreme Court of the United States. Dr. William Booth inherited a number of letters from these patrons which bear the striking testi¬ mony to the reputation and the excellence of this first school west of the mountains. Robert Morris wrote to him from “York in Pennsylvania, Nov. 25, 1777.” In his letter, this distinguished citi¬ zen and patriot said: “Sir—The high reputation you have acquired by your institution for the instruction of youth must naturally create a desire in many parents to have their sons admitted into so promising a sem¬ inary, and I am amongst the number of those who admire your character and wish my son to partake the advantages of instruction from so accomplished a gentleman. I expect none but the customary terms and without inquiring what those are I shall readily comply with them. My child reads and writes English tolerably for a boy not yet eight years old; he is just entering on Latin with a master in this place, but we are at a loss for school books, as none are now in the shops for sale. I shall write to Europe for some as soon as possible. Understanding that you limit the number of scholars, I address you now to kn ow if my son can be admitted, and if he can I will 384 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD bring or send him as soon as convenient. With respect and esteem, I remain, sir, your obedient, humble servant, ROBERT MORRIS.” That Mr. Morris was not disappointed m the school of which he bad heard so favorably, is proved by a letter which Mr. Booth received a year and a half later, from Edward Shippen, of Philadelphia, who wrote from that city under date of May 29, 111 9.. He had been anxious, Mr. Shippen wrote, “to have my son admitted to a share of your instruction, but till lately have had no expectation of it from a belief that your num¬ ber of pupils was complete. However, on con¬ sulting with lit. Robert Morris and Mr. l’i,r- viance, I have reason to expect there is still a vacancy and they both encourage and advise me to send my boy by this opportunity. Relying therefore on their recommendation and opinion that be will not be rejected, I take the liberty of sending him in company.with Gen. Arnold’s son and a son of Col. Plater, and at the same time have enclosed in a bundle in my son’s trunk the like sum of money which other gentlemen have agreed to pay you * * * I am told you have sent a bond to the other gentlemen.” Instead of sending “a son” along with Mr. Shippen’s boy Gen. Arnold sent two. He had married a second time, and his young wife, per¬ haps found her husband’s sons a good deal in the way, as Gen Arnold was then leading a fashion¬ able life, living in one of the handsomest resi¬ dences- in Philadelphia, and incurring those debts which helped to drive him tp ruin and disgrace the next year. In the letter which his sons car¬ ried to Booth, Gen. Arnold also testified to his esteem for the teacher. “1 am extremely happy in committing the care of their education,” he wrote, “to a gentleman so universally esteemed and admired, not in the least doubting your care and attention to them in every particular. Let me beg of you my dear sir, to treat them in the same manner as you would your own; when they deserve correction, I wish not to have them spared. They have been for some time in this city which is a bad school and my situation has prevented my paying that attention to them I otherwise should have done. If they have Contracted any bad Habits they are not of a long standing, and I make no doubt, under your Care they will soon forget them. I wish their Education to be useful rather than learned. Life is too short and un¬ certain to throw away in speculation on subjects that perhaps one man in Ten thousand has a genius to make a figure in,- you will pardon my dictating to you Sir, but as the Fortunes of every Man in this Country are uncertain, I wish my Sons to be Educated in such a Manner that with prudence and Industry they may acquire a For¬ tune (in case they are deprived of' their patri¬ mony) as well as to become useful Members of society. “My taylor has disappointed me and sent home their clothes unfinished. I am therefore under the necessity of sending them undone or detaining the Waggon; I cannot think of doing the latter, and must beg the favor of you to pro¬ cure their clothes finished and some new ones made out of my old ones. I must beg you to pur¬ chase any little matters necessary for them. I have enclosed three hundred Dollars for their use out of which you will please to give them as much to spend as you think Proper, with this con¬ dition that they render to you a Regular account as often as jnu think necessary of their Expenses, a copy of which I shall expect they will transmit to me, this will teach them economy, and Method, so necessary in almost every thing in Life. “If there is any Books wanting I beg you to purchase them, and whenever 3 r ou are in want of money to draw on me. I shall expect they will write to me frequently—of this they will doubtless want reminding. “I have the honor to be with great Respect and Esteem, Dear Sir, your most obedient Hum¬ ble Servt. ' B. ARNOLD.’ Mr. Booth’s school continued and prospered for many years, and there is still standing a log house which it is believed was the school house in which many boys who became distinguished men, were educated. As has been already stated, St. John’s Parish Washington County, at that time Antietam Hun¬ dred of Frederick'County, was erected by the Leg¬ islature in 1770. But it would appear that there was HO Episcopal Church in Hagerstown until after the Revolution, The records of the vestry of the parish begin that year and tell us that on April 21, “A number of, the inhabitants of Wash¬ ington County professing the Protestant religion of the Episcopal Church” met in the Court House in Elizabethtown, organized a congregation and elected a vestry. The vestry then elected were John Stull, Daniel Hughes, Alexander Clagett, Thomas Spagg, Richard Pindell, Nathaniel Roch- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 385 ester and Eli Williams. These were among the strongest and most distinguished men in the County, and indeed in the State. Most of them had served their country in the war just over. Col. John Stull had been at the head of the men who governed the County until the State govern¬ ment was in full operation, -and was one of the Justices of the County Court for years. He was a member of the convention which ratified the Con¬ stitution of the United States, and took a leading part in urging the adoption of that instrument. Daniel Hughes was also a patriot of the Revolu¬ tion. He was an iron founder and made at Mt. Etna furnace some of the cannon used by the Continental Army. Alexander Clagett was a dis¬ tant relative of the Bishop of the Diocese. He was a patriot of the Revolution, and for three years w'as sheriff of Washington County, then the most important local office. In 1818, he removed to Baltimore to reside and died there three years later. Gen. Thomas Sprigg was a soldier of the Revolution and member of Congress; ■ Dr. Rich¬ ard Pindell was a distinguished physician. He was a brother-in-law of Henry Clay, having mar¬ ried a daughter of Col. Thos. Hart. In 1793, he went with Col. Hart to Kentucky. Nathaniel Rochester was a native of Westmoreland County, Va., was Deputy Commissary General of Military Stores for the Revolutionary troops for Orange County, N. C, After the war he came to Hagers¬ town, engaged in maufacturing, established the Hagerstown Bank and later founded the City of Rochester, N. Y., which was named after him. Eli Williams was a soldier of the Revolution, a brother of Gen. Otho Holland Williams, and the first clerk of the Circuit Court for Washinngton County. This vestry gave out a contract for building the parish church, which was erected on the lot now occupied by the Episcopal graveyard, at the then southern end of Locust street. The contract for 26,000 bricks was awarded to Henry Bowart, and John Willar was employed to do the carpen¬ ter's and joiner’s work. Subscriptions were made in work and material, as there was then no na¬ tional currency, and most ordinary transactions were done by barter. It was several } r ears before the church was completed, and it was a substan¬ tial brick building but so small that the congre¬ gation outgrew it before many years, even though an addition was made to it in 1797. The first rector was the Rev. George Bower, who served .from December 1, 1786, until his death in 1813. He was buried at the church, and his grave has recently been discovered. In 1788, however, Mr. Bower left, to become Rector of Queen Caroline parish, Anne Arundel County, but returned to Hagerstown within the year. Mr. Bower’s salary was £100 per annum, which was subsequently increased to £150 and then re¬ duced to $400. Rezin Davis and William Prather were the church wardens, and Nathaniel Roch¬ ester Register of the parish. It must be confess¬ ed that Mr. Bower was not overpaid for the work he performed. In a letter to the Right Rev. Thomas John Claggett, Bishop of the Diocese, dated July 1, 1797, Mr. Bower, after saying that the congregation in Hagerstown had become “very- respectable,'’ and that the addition to the church was not yet completed, gave the routine of his duties as follows: “I attend here (Hagerstown) every other Sunday, at Eredericktown every fourth Sunday, at Taneytown every fourth Sunday.!’ 1 This continued throughout the year. Fred¬ erick is about 24 miles distant, and Taney¬ town about 40 miles. The roads across the moun¬ tains and through the valleys were mere muddy trails in the spring and winter, and the journeys backwards and forwards must have been a great burden. His parishioners, Mr. Bower said, were “scattered about this extensive parish,-which con¬ tains three counties, and is, I believe, near one hundred and fifty miles in length, reaching from Baltimore County to the end of the State.” Mr. Bower was a man of some importance in the diocese, and was for a number of years mem¬ ber of. the standing committee. Mr. Hezekiah Clagett was the first lay delegate from the Hagers¬ town Church to the Diocesan convention. On Sept. 13, 1813, the Rev. Thomas P. Irving was elected Rector at a salary of $400 a year. He was a native of Somerset County, Md. In 1816, he resigned on account of ill health and died the next year. His successor was the Rev. Joseph Jackson, an Englishman by birth, who continued in the charge but one year, when he resigned and was succeded by the Rev. John Curtis Clay who also left after a year's service. Later he became Rec¬ tor of Gloria Dei Church in Philadelphia, where he died in 1863. The next Rector of St. John’s was the Rev. Samuel B. Shaw, of Massachusetts, elected Feb. 27, 1822, and he was succeeded six months later by Rev. George Lemmon, a native of Baltimore, elected October 12, 1822, at a salary HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD of $800. For six years he continued his pastor¬ ate, and during this time the new church on South Jonathan street was completed, paid for and consecrated June 18, 1823, by Bishop James Kemp. The removal from Locust street to Jonathan street was determined upon at a meeting of the vestry held August 31, 1813. It seems remark¬ able that the old site ever was selected, as there were at the time few, if any, residences in that quarter. The congregation lived along Potomac, Washington and Franklin streets and the road to the church was doubtless at times almost block¬ aded by the mud. The building committee of the new church was composed of Eli Beatty, cash¬ ier of the Hagerstown Bank, George Baer, Otho II. Williams, Clerk of the Court, and Franklin Anderson. This committee bought a lot on Jon¬ athan street from Christian Fechtig for $600. Among the contracts for the building was one with Daniel Sprigg for 100,000 bricks. The Rev. Robert Brent Drane was elected Rector June 26, 1828. He was a native of Mary¬ land. In 1835, the parsonage on the corner of Jonathan and Antietam streets, was built. After the church was burned in 1871, this parsonage was sold to Dr. A. S. Mason. .Mr. Drane resigned April 26, 1836, because as he explained in reply to an inquiry by the vestry "of the malicious and vindictive conduct of some” who, he said, tried to destroy his influence as a clergyman. He sub¬ sequently became rector of St. James’ Church, Wil¬ mington, N. < and President of Shelbyville Col¬ lege, Kentucky. The Rev. John Wiley, of Dela¬ ware, was elected April 2, 1837 and he was suc¬ ceeded in 1840 by the Rev. 'Theodore B. Lyman of Connecticut, afterwards Bishop of North Car¬ olina. During his pastorate the church was en¬ larged and repaired, and he took a leading part in co-operation with Bishop Whittingham, m founding the College of St. James. In 1849 Dr. Lyman left Hagerstown for Columbia, Pa. In September, 1850, the Rev. William G. Jackson, a native of England, became rector of St. John’s. In 1852 he married Mrs. Lydia E. Kennedy, a daughter of Col. Jacob Hollingsworth, of Hagerstown. In 1853, the Rev. Walter N. Ayrault was elected to succeed Mr. Jackson, who had resigned, and he in turn was succeeded in 1857 by the Rev. Henry Edwards of Connecticut, who administered the affairs of the parish until 1867, when he became rector of St. Mark’s Church, Lappons X Roads, St. Paul’s, Sharpsburg, and had in addition for many years charge of St. Luke’s, Pleasant Valley, and St. Andrew’s, Clear- spring. He continued to live in Hagerstown un¬ til his death in 1899. Mr. Edward’s rectorship covered the period of the Civil War and it was a stormy time. Being a Northern man his sym¬ pathies were for the union and he never made any compromise with his conscience. The major¬ ity of his congregation were friends of the South, and bitter differences arose out of these questions. Mr. Edwards was charged by the Government with the spiritual care of a number of hospitals, and received a commission as an army chaplain. He was a man of unbounded charity, and while bit¬ terly opposed to the South that made no difference in his ministration to sick and wounded Confed¬ erate soldiers. After the termination of Mr. Edward’s pas¬ torate in January, 1867, the Rev. Claudius R. Haines was elected, and in 1872 the Rev Walter A. Mitchell, a native of St, Mary's County, Md., took charge of the parish. This good man served the parish for just twenty years, a longer term than that of any of his predecessors, except the Rev. George Bower. When he came to Hagers¬ town the 1st of January, 1872, he found the church in ruins, the congregation scattered and disheartened. When he left in 1892, there stood on one of the most commanding situations in the town a magnificent church, which had cost about $5(1000 and which was fully paid for; and upon the same street a fine rectory had been purchased. The parish church had been built and a prosper¬ ous mission established in the Eastern part of tlie town. The parish house was also built in these years, and all the agencies of parish work in¬ creased. The present Rector, the Rev. Henry Evan Cotton, succeeded to the parish in 1893. Under his care the Rectory was sold and a fine stone Rectory built, adjoining the church. A new organ has been installed and several beautiful me¬ morial windows placed: the chancel has been re¬ modeled, and splendidly decorated by Mrs. Henry Roscnburg, who also contributed a fine chancel window and erected a tablet in memory of her father. Dr. Charles Macgill, for years a vestryman of the parish. Among the vestrymen of St. John’s parish during its long history, in addition to those already mentioned, we find the names of Hezekiah Clagett, Zion Reformed Church, Hagerstown. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. William Reynolds, Cephas Beall, Charles Ogle, William Fitzhugh, Benjamin Clagett, Fnsby Tilghman, Samuel Ringgold, Benj. Galloway, Thomas Grieves, Thomas B. Hall, Otho H. W. Stull, Daniel Hughes, Jr., John Ragan, Harry Lewis, Eli Beattj r , Daniel Sprigg, Otho Lawrence, Edward Gaither, Marmaduke Boyd, J. P. Dali, Horatio McPherson, Dr. Frederick Dorsey, John R. Dali, Joseph I. Merrick, Jacob Hollingsworth, John Thompson Mason, Peregrine Fitzhugh, Jer¬ vis Spencer, Judge William Motter, Washington Berry, Dr. T. W. Simmons, Dr. William Ragan, Dr. Frederick Dorsey, Jr., D. Gaither Huyett, George W. Pole, George W. Harris, Alonzo Berry, B. Howell Griswold, Buchanan Schley, Alexander Neill, Henry A. McComas, T. J. C. Williams, Admiral D. McN. Fairfax, Herman C. Koehler, Alex. Hagner, J. Clarence Lane, Col. Wm. P. Lane and A. W. Lucas. On Christmas day 1875 the new Presbyterian Church on the corner of Washington and Pros¬ pect, was dedicated and occupied for the first time. The Rev. J. C. Thompson was at that time the pastor of this, which is one' of the historic congregations of Washington County. On the day of the dedication the Rev. J. T. Smith, of Baltimore, preached in the morning, and Rev. Geo. P. Hayes, D. D., President of Washington College, in the evening. The new church is of beautiful design, occupying one of the finest lots in the town. It is of the native blue limestone. The triple window in the front is a memorial to Victor Thompson, a generous contributor to the church in his will. While it is probable that the very first set¬ tlers in Washington County were men of Scotch- frisli blood and of the Presbyterian faith, it was not until 1817 that there was a church, or an or¬ ganized congregation of this denomination in Ha¬ gerstown. In 1774 the Rev. Thomas McPherrin was called to the charges of Conococheague and Jerusalem (now known as Funkstown) and all the Presbyterian congregations west of South Mountain. In 1788, the Rev. Mr. Caldwell was sent to minister to the congregations of Falling Waters, Hagerstown and Williamsport. From this time down to 1817 the Presbyterians of Ha¬ gerstown were connected with those of Greencastle and Welsh Run, the same minister having charge of all three congregations. Among these min¬ isters was the Rev. John Lind, son of the Rev. Matthew Lind. It was during the pastorate of the Rev. John Lind that the Hagerstown church was organized, and the church edifice, on South Potomac street was built. The first minute book of the congregation contains this record: “On the loth of November, 1817, Messrs. Robert Doug- - las, John Kennedy, Joseph Gabby and John Rob¬ ertson were ordained to the office of Ruling Elder, in the Associate Reformed congregation of Ha¬ gerstown. A session or court for superintending and directing the spiritual concerns of the congre¬ gations having thus been formed they recognized as properly belonging to the Hagerstown Society the following persons who had been admitted to communion at Greencastle, viz: Robert Douglass and Sarah Combs his wife, John Kennedy and Margaret Wagoner his wife, Hugh Kennedy, John Robertson, James McCulloch, Joseph Gabby and Anne Cummings his wife, John Johnson and Jane Simpson his wife, Peggy Johnson, Sarah Simpson (formerly Johnston), Elizabeth Jacobs (formerly Johnston), Susan Dowing (formerly Johnston) and Jane Milligan. They also received into com¬ munion on personal examination, John Gibboney and Ann Gilliland his wife, Nancy Douglass, Mary Douglass, William Robertson, Samuel Steele, Eliz¬ abeth Steele, Susanna Bell, Jr., Rosanna Mar¬ shall White, James Ferguson, Jas. 0. Carson, John Mcllhenney and Nancy Newcomer his wife; Alex. Neill and Dr. Samuel Young. And on certifi¬ cates, from an Associate Reformed Church, Maria F. Kerr, and from other churches Susanna Bell, (formerly Duffield), Drusilla Holt, (formerly White), Ann Hughes, (formerly Purviance), David Cook and-McFarquair his wife. On the following day, November 16, the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered, and as it had never before been administered in Hagers¬ town by any English Presbyterian minister, the occasion was regarded with lively interest.” The lot upon which the old original Presby¬ terian. Church stands, was purchased July 17, 1815, from Gotleib Zimmerman for $1,500. There were 167 contributors to the church and lot which cost' $9,149.17. The largest contributors were John and Hugh Kennedy. Hugh Kennedy left in his will two lots opposite the church on South Potomac street and $2,500 in money for the erec¬ tion of a parsonage. It was a condition in the devise that the Rouse Version of the Psalms of David should be used in the service of the church. John Kennedy advanced $1,300 to complete the parsonage. The congregation in 1853 decided to 390 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD introduce the use of the Hymnal. Thereupon the heirs of Mr. Kennedy claimed that the parsonage had reverted to them. The congregation settled this claim by the payment of $1,100. Not until ;T®>4 was there a choir. Before that time the singing had been led first by Hugh Kennedy, then for thirty years by William Robertson and then by David Steele. The only musical instrument tolerated in those years was the tuning fork. The Rev. John “Lind died in 1824, and was succeeded September 28,' USES by the Rev. Matthew Lind Fullerton, who remained in charge until his death in 1833. The Rev. Richard Wynkoop was install¬ ed June 25, 1834, and his pastorate ended with his death, April 6, 1842. In 1836 the session decided to elect three ad¬ ditional elders and announced the choice of Jos¬ eph Rench, Samuel Steele and John McCurdy, who were elected. Some opposition was made to the ordination of Mr. McCurdy, and this differ¬ ence caused a division of the congregation. The seceding portion organized under the name of the First Presbyterian Church of Hagerstown and for some years used the Court House as a place of worship. This congregation had two pastors, first the Rev. Mr. Davis, and second the Rev. Wm. Love. During the separation the pastors of the church were the Rev. Herman Douglas and the Rev. John F. McLaren. The latter was the fath¬ er of the late Bishop McLaren of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. The two congregations re¬ united April 10, 1846. Mr. McLaren and Mr. Love both resigned, in order to facilitate the reunion. The next pastor, elected on September 14, 1846, by the reunited congregation, was the Rev. Septimus Tustin, D. D., of Washington. He resigned, and the Rev. B. W. Dunlap was elected pastor in September, 1851. He died five ycare later, and the Rev. R. A. Brown was called in 1858. He was succeeded by Rev. W. C. Stitt. Rev. Tryon Edwards, D. D., was called Feb. 18, 1 h; 7, and resigned Oct. 29, 1872. Rev. J. C. Thompson served from July 21, 1813 to 1819. Rev. J. A. Rondthaler, from 1819 to 1884; Alex. Alison, 1885, to 1881; David Laugh! n, 1887, to 1892, Isaac H. Condit, 1894, to 1896; Geo. P. Wilson, D. D., 1897 to 1898; Robt. Alexander Boyle, 1899, the present pastor. A great majority of the early inhabitants of Hagerstown were of German blood, and most of these spoke the German language. When they set¬ tled in Hagerstown, they brought with them their religion from the fatherland. The first church edifice to be erected within the limits of the town was Zion Reformed Church, which is still standing, founded upon a rock, crowning a high eminence on Potomac and Church streets overlooking a town of 15,000 people as it overlooked Elizabethtown in its infancy a hundred and thirty years ago when it was a hamlet of a few hundred houses. This sacred edifice has been enlarged and improved within and without. But its original proportions, massive in its construction and simple in its arch¬ itecture still stand, and the bells in the stone tower still call Christians to worship as they have done for five generations. In the shadow of the church lie the ashes of Jonathan Hager, founder of Ha¬ gerstown, who gave the lot upon which it stands, and who lost his life while the church was build¬ ing. Near him in the same graveyard is buried the body of his granddaughter, his only grandchild, Elizabeth Hager Lawrence, daughter of Jonathan Hager, Jr., and wife of Upton Lawrence, “bom August 1, 1785, died August 5, 1867/'’ No man is more beloved by the people of Hagerstown than the present pastor of Zion Reformed Church, the Rev. J. Spangler Kieffer. For thirty-seven years he has ministered to his people, going in and out among them, soothing their sorrows, sharing with their joys, administering the sacraments of the church, “a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." In 1874, the congregation of Zion Church celebra¬ ted the centennial of the building, the corner stone having been laid August 10, 1774. Dr. Kieffer took the occasion of this celebration to read a his¬ tory of the Reformed Church in Hagerstown, which he had compiled from the church records and from other sources. “Following the German emigration into the Talley of the Antietam and Conococheague” he said, “the Reformed Church, following the emigra¬ tion of her children, found a home in this place. It is greatly to be regretted, however, that, in the case of this congregation, as with respect to many, it is not possible at this day, for want of sufficient records, definitely to determine the date, or to know the exact circumstances of its organ¬ ization. The earliest record we have been able to discover, is that of the baptism of George, child of Jacob and Catharine Snyder, on the 20th of October, 1766.—From this circumstance and from the fact that, beginning with this date, there ex¬ ists a regular and continuous baptismal record, it OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 391 may be inferred that a congregation existed here at least as early as the year 1766. The congrega¬ tion, however, possessed no church building, and for at least four years was without a Pastor. It is quite probable that there was a church-school, and that, when there were services the school house was used for this purpose. The congregation, during these first years, was dependent upon the ministration of visiting ministers, and was no doubt served in such irregular manner as we have already described. We have found, for example, traces of such occasional ministration on the part of Rev. P. L. Henop, pastor of the Reformed church at Frederick, who has left a record that, in the month of July, 1770, he baptized the in¬ fant son of Henry Schnebeli, giving him the name David. “This infant afterwards became Col. David Schnebly, the husband of the lady who at the age of 101 years and 4 months was present at the centennial services.* “It was not until the year 1770 that the infant and hitherto destitute congregation, succeeded in obtaining the services of a settled Pastor.—Two other congregations, the St. Paul’s and the Salem congregation, having been associated with it in one charge these three united in a petition to the Coetus of Pennsylvania, then standing in connec¬ tion with the Synods of North and South Holland, asking for a minister. In response to this request the Coetus, at its meeting in Philadelphia, in September of the year 1770, appointed the Rev. Jacob Weimer, as their minister. “It was not until four years more had passed, that the congregation was . able to undertake the erecLion of a church. This necessary step having been resolved upon the actual work was begun (it is to be presumed) in the spring of the year 1774; and on the 10th of August, in that year, was laid with suitable ceremonies, the corner¬ stone of the edifice in which we are now assembled. In view of this circumstance, and in consideration of what has already been said, it is scarcely neces- , sary to state that, in choosing to regard and ob- ' serve the year 1874 as our one hundredth anniver¬ sary, we are not, properly speaking, celebrating the organization of this congregation, which is more than a hundred years old, but the precise date of whose establishment, as we have seen, it is not possible to determine. We are celebrating, rather, the one hundredth anniversary of this congrega¬ tion, so far as the erection of this church, one cen¬ tury ago this year, constituted for it, in an import¬ ant sense, an historical starting-point, and gave it a local habitation in this community. “The facts which we have just mentioned, to¬ gether with others which are interesting in this .connection, we have gathered from a document which we had the good fortune to find preserved, and the value of which is enhanced by the meagreness of existing records, and the circum¬ stance that some seem to have been lost or de¬ stroyed. It is a copy of the document which was placed in the corner-stone of the church; and since it is of so great importance in relation to the history of this church, it seems well to translate it here *The Herald and Torch Light of June 16, 1875, has the following: The Mail says that the widow of the late Col. David Schnebly, who was born Febru¬ ary 15th, 1773, and is now in her 103d year, retains her accustomed vigor and good health. Mrs. Schneb¬ ly lives on the farm of her husband, on the Cumber¬ land Valley Rail Road, near the line of Franklin County, in Washington County, Maryland. Her fath¬ er's farm where she was married on the 7th of May, 1793, is in the same, neighborhood. The Mail adds: “Her last visit to town was in the Fall of 1874, when she came in upon business which she transact¬ ed in person, getting out of her carriage as she al¬ ways does, in the Public Square, in front of the “Mail” office door, and Gassman’s corner. During the preceding month of August she made a special visit to the town in the same manner-, to pay her taxes, which she has for many years attended to in person. She was then accompanied by her niece— Mrs. Greenbury Wilson, of Baltimore—and by Mr. Teisher, and insisted upon walking from the square to the Court House and back, and did so, without the slightest inconvenience. We learn from Mr. Teisher, that she is now discussing the Centennial of ’76, and if living and as well and strong as she now is, will certainly make the pilgrimage to Philadelphia; and we imagine that among those then .present on that occasion, if there should be one who can number the same honored years as she, there certainly will not be one, thus honored, whose perception of the occasion will be more acute than hers. We also learn from the same gentleman that she is now preparing for another visit to our town, and may, perhaps, within the next week—the weather being so inviting—be. seen upon our streets. Mrs. Schneb¬ ly has made, since attaining her hundredth year, her birthday a family anniversary now three times repeated, at which her select friends have seated themselves at her board, presided over by herself.” Mrs. Schnebly visited our town on Monday last, and appeared to be in her usual health and spirits. 392 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD in full from the original German. It is in the handwriting of Father Weimer, and reads as fol¬ lows : “ ‘A copy of the Document which was placed in the corner-stone of the Reformed Church in Elizabethtown, on the 10th of August, 1774.’ “After it had pleased the all-wise God to gov¬ ern the human race which He had created, by different economies, the time finally came when God sent into the world the only Shepherd Jesus Christ, in order to establish the true economy. He, having returned to Him who sent Him, sent forth His apostles into all the world to preach the Gospel. They by the power of God, established congregations everywhere, and made known unto them the way of life. And when finally the great God brought His church rest from persecution, these congregations began to erect houses of wor¬ ship, in which they might publicly assemble them¬ selves to hear God’s word and engage in common prayer; a custom which has been maintained and has come down to our times. “Accordingly, the Reformed congregation, es¬ tablished according to God’s word in Elizabeth¬ town, in Frederick County, in the Province of Maryland, has seen fit to erect for themselves and their posterity a suitable house, in which the word of God might be truly preached, and the Holy Sacraments administered according to Christ’s command and common prayer publicly offered, and their children instructed in the catechism according to the principles of the Reformed Church. “The congregation having duly placed itself under the Reverend Coetus of Pennsylvania, which stands in subordination to the Synods of North and South Holland, and having associated with it two other congregations in Conococheague, made application to the above named Reverend Coelus for a minister. This request was granted and at the session of Coetus in Philadelphia, in Septem¬ ber in the year 1770, Jacob Weimer, as a member of Coetus, was appointed as their Pastor: “So the aforesaid Reformed congregation in Elizabethtown resolved to commence the building of a church in this present year, 1774. That the undertaking, however, might begin under favor¬ able auspices, Mr. Jonathan Hager, a member of the congregation and Proprietary of the town called Elizabeth, donated to the congregation, two lots in the northern portion of the town, on the principal street. “Thereupon the members of the congregation elected as building-master (builder) William Hey- ser, a member and deacon of the congregation, who, with the co-operation of his colleagues, the other deacons of the congregation, namely, Philip Oster, Peter Wagner and Jacob Hauser, brought the work so far as to lay the corner-stone on Wednesday the 10th of August, 1774.' On this occasion, Rev. Frederick Ludwig Henop, Reformed Pastor at Fredericktown, who had been invited to' be present, preached on the words contained in Colossians 3. v. 17: ‘And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.’ At this service which was held on the ground on which the church was to be built, there were likewise present Jacob Weimer, Reformed Pastor in Elizabethtown, Rev. George Young, Lutheran Pastor, and Rev.--, also Lutheran Pastor of Fredericktown. “And so at the laying of the foundation of this church no other name was given than that it should be a Reformed Church, founded according to God’s word; in which the Word of God and the Gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus should be purely preached; in which, also, the Holy Sac¬ raments should be administered according to the command of Christ; and in which the catechis- ation of their children should be faithfully car¬ ried out according to the Reformed principles, as these are taught in the Heidelberg Catechism. “Further, that all the members of said congre¬ gation, as also their heirs and descendants, and all who, sooner or later, shall, on giving evidence of good and pure intention, be received as mem¬ bers of the congregation, shall, as members be en¬ titled to enjoy all the privileges and rights which said church has or may obtain. “To this end this document has been commit¬ ted for preservation to the corner-stone of this church; and a copy of the same has been inserted in this church-hook, with a list of the names of the membres of the congregation, as is to be seen from the following: DEACONS OF THE CONGREGATION. William Heyser, also Builder; Philip Oster, Peter Wagner, Jacob Hauser. MEMBERS OF TTTE CONGREGATION. William Baker, Ernst, Baker, Yost Wegand, Isau Gaudig, Johannes Karr, Frantz Greilich, Herman Greilich, Andreas Link, Eustagines Jung', Wilhelm Courath, Heinrich Dotweiler, Jacob Fischer, Johannes Steinscyfer, Frantz Wagner, OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 393 Ernst Ditz, Rutholple Bley, Johannes Oster, Mich¬ ael Eberhart, Matthaus Saylor, Jacob Haushalter, Peter Saylor, George Herdli, George Clampert, Johannes Nicolas Schister, George-, Hana- dam-, Valentin-, Jacob Hauser, Peter Diller, George Frey, Johannes Frey, Con- rath Eichelberger, Philip Klein, Ernst Kremer. “This document, the original of which lies sa¬ credly guarded in the corner-stone of this Church, serves, as we read it now, to call up before us very impressively the congregation which, one hundred years ago, held solemn service on this spot, and of which not a single worshipper now survives. We leave it to tell its own story, for it is the only voice that comes to us from that time; it is the only record we have been able to discover of the circumstances connected with the erection of this Church. “While, however, little or nothing can be ad¬ ded to this account, there are some things connect¬ ed with, or suggested by, this document, to which it may be permitted here to refer. “The ground on which this Church stands, a chosen spot, which has, ever since made our Zion, beautiful for situation (lying where what was then known as the principal street of the place) was the gift, it appears, of Mr. Jonathan Hager. Because of this, let his name be mentioned with reverence, gratitude and affection this day, and let memory be handed down in the annals of our Congregation¬ al history as the memory of one who loved the Church. It is to be regretted that he did not live to see his pious intentions carried out. He met with an untimely death, while engaged in the work in which he had shown so great an interest. He cut the timber of the Church, and while unload¬ ing a log at his saw-mill, where Hager’s Mill now stands, he fell and the log rolling on him, he was killed. His deseenants still reside in this town which came to bear his name ***** From his family bible we learn that he was mar T ried in the year 1740 to Elizabeth Kershner. They had two children, Rosanah, born in 1752, and Jon¬ athan, born in 1765. This Bible is still in the possession of Mr. Hager’s great grand-daughters, the respected Misses Lawrence of this place, who also preserve many interesting relics of their worthy ancestor.” Father Weymer, the first Pastor, continued to serve the Congregation at Hagerstown, and to preach at St. Paul’s, near Clearspring, at Salem Church, a few miles from town, at Beard's Church, near Cavetown, at Besore’s, near Waynes¬ boro’, and at Apple’s, in Frederick County, until the 12th day of May, 1790, when he died, at the age of 66 years, and was buried in the grave-yard attached to the Church, no stone, at his own re¬ quest, marking his last resting place. Two years afterwards the Rev. Jonathan Rahauser succeed¬ ed him in the charge of these Congregations, and served them for a period of twenty-five years, per¬ forming an immense amount of labor and proving an effective preacher and a popular pastor. He died September 25, 1817, in the 53d year of his age, and was also buried in the grave-yard attach¬ ed to the Church. Rev. James R. Reily was the third pastor, who entered upon the discharge of his duties on the 1st of January, 1819, having on that day preached his introductory sermon. He closed his labors here by resignation, on the 25th of April, 1825, having served the congregation a little over six years, during which time it is said that he baptized 829 infants, 103 adults, added to the Church by confirmation 507 members^ had in all 3467 communicants, and preached 225 funer¬ al sermons. Although there was an occasional English sermon preached during Mr. Reily’s min¬ istry, it was so rare that it might almost be said that the German was the only language used in the services of the Church for the previous fifty- five years of its existence. With his successor the transition from German to English fairly com¬ menced. After Mr. Reily came the following pastors: Mr. Brunner’s ministry commenced in 1827 and closed in 1832; Rev. W. A. Good’s commenced in 1833 and closed in 1836; Rev. Albert Helfenstein s commenced in 1837 and closed in 1843; Dr. Moses Kieffer’s commenced in 1844 and closed in 1849; Dr. D. Gans’ commenced in 1850 and closed in 1855; Rev. Dr. Samuel H. Giesy’s commenced in 1855 and closed in 1860; and Rev. J. H. Wag¬ oner’s commenced in 1861 and closed in 1864, af¬ ter which the Congregation was without a regular pastor for several years, when the Rev. J. S. Kief- fer was called and took charge of it. At a meeting of the consistory, held October 7, 1858 it was resolved to build a new church. In 1857, Mrs. David Schnebley had given to the congregation a splendid lot on W. Washington street, which was afterwards bought by Z. S. Clag- ett who built his home upon it. Later, the idea of building a new church was abandoned, and the lot was sold. On March 20, 1866, a congregation- 394 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD al meeting decided to remain on the hill at the old historic site, and to remodel the old church. The building committee to do this work was composed of Alexander Armstrong, J. Dixon Roman, David C. Hammond, David Zeller and Joseph Middle- kauff. Mr. Roman died, and Mr. MiddlekaulT re¬ signed, and their places were supplied by Martin Rickenbaugh and Samuel Artz. While the work of remodeling was going on the congregation wor¬ shipped in Lyceum Hall. The Chapel was com¬ pleted in 1868. About twenty years later, the large addition was built and the tower completed. It had been surmounted by a spire but that was blown down in a storm in June, 1878. The Rev. Joseph Spangler KiefEer, D. D., was born February 3, 1842, at Mifflinburg, Union County, Pa., where his father was for many years pastor of the Reformed Church. Dr. Kielfer was the third child, and the second son of Rev. Ephriam and Eleanor (Spangler) KiefEer. In another part of this work will be found an exten¬ sive biographical sketch of Dr. Ivieffer and his ancestors. The change from the German to the Eng¬ lish language in the service at Zion Church, left a portion of the congregation dissatisfied as there were some who could not understand English. In 18.52, services in German for the benefit of the latter were conducted in tire lecture room of Zion Church. In March, 1855, there was a meeting in that church of those who preferred the German language. They organized, and then went in a body to a lot adjoining the Oak Spring on Frank¬ lin street, which they had bought, and laid the corner-stone of Christ Reformed Church. This church was completed and dedicated in 1856, but the use of the German language did not continue more than twenty years. In 1871 the German Lutheran Church of Hagerstown was organized, and built by a portion of the congregation of Christ Church which left it. The officers of Christ Church, when it was built were Henry Win¬ ter, Leonard Maisack, Mark Benner, Jacob Gru¬ ber, Theobald Kiefer, William Bestard and George Steinmetz. The pastors of the church have been Rev. Carl Kast; Rev. John B. Poemer, Rev. Dr. Geo. Seifert; Rev. Henri L. Grandlienard; Rev. Casper School. Rev. Theobald Heischman; Rev. William F. Colliflower, Rev. C. II. Coon; Rev. Leighton G. Kremer, who came Oct. 1, 1878. Rev. George A. Snyder, Rev. Kremer and was succeeded by the present pastor, Rev. 0. Clever, D. D. Soon after the end of the Civil War, extensive improvements were made in St. John’s Lutheran Church on South Potomac St., one of the oldest and historic churches of Hagerstown. From the beginning, the Lutherans have been the largest body of Christians in Washington County. The improvements referred to above marked the be¬ ginning of the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. S. W. Owen, who took charge of the church in Novem¬ ber, 1869, and continues to this day, thirty-six years later ministering to the largest congregation of Christians in Washington County; a brilliant preacher, greatly beloved by his flock, and respect¬ ed by all the people of the town, among whom he has been for all these years a conspicuous figure. In May, 1870, Dr. Owen preached his last sermon in the ancient church, as it had been originally built. The work of improvement occupied about a year, and services were resumed in April, 1871. The church was greatly enlarged, the lower floor being fitted, up for the Sunday School and entire¬ ly new furniture being supplied for both church and Sunday School room. At the same time tiie double bells, which had become cracked, were ta¬ ken down and replaced. One of them was cast in London in 1788, and the other in Boston in 1824. St. John’s is not the first church building of this Lutheran congregation. The congregation was organized in Hagerstown in 1770, only eight years after the town was laid out, and while it was still an unpretentious village. Nevertheless, the constitution then adopted was signed by sixty members, who must have constituted a large por¬ tion of the adult population of the town. The first pastor, down to 1772, was life Rev. Mr. Wild- ban. Three or four years after the organization of the congregation, namely about the year 17 74 and 177 5, during the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Young, the first church was built. In 1782 an organ was purchased. In 1793, the pastor was the Rev. Mr. Gohring. He was followed in 1794 by the Rev. J. George Schmucker, who continued in the charge for six¬ teen years resigning in 1810. Mr. Schmucker when he came to Hagerstown was but a youth of twenty-two years, and looked young for his age, so much so that he was known as “the boy pireacher.” He was a preacher of uncommon power and elo¬ quence. When he died, between 1840 and 1850, one of his successors, the Rev. Benj. Kurtz wrote el him in the Lutheran Observer as follows: The first charge of the Rev. J. George OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 395 Schmucker was Quickel’s and several other coun¬ try churches in York county, Pa. But scarcely had he labored there a year, before Providence plainly indicated that there was another and a greater work for him to do in a more important department of Christ’s vineyard. The Lutheran Church at Hagerstown, Md., together with four affiliated country congregations had become vacant, and in obediencoe to a unanimous call from them, he removed to Hagerstown in 1794, being then a little more than 22 years of age. Here he labored 16 years with his characteristic zeal and fidelity; and tho’ one of the most distinguished and able divines of that day preceded him in the charge—• we allude to the learned, impassioned and eloquent Gohring, yet he creditably sustained himself to the entire satisfaction of a people accustomed to the highest style of evangelic preaching. Tha± which one would think must have affected him unfavorably in contrast with his popular predecess¬ or, in reality worked to his advantage. He was at that period an unusually small man, slight, pale, and emaciated from unceasing application and severe mental discipline. His manner out of the pulpit was unassuming and rather timid; and his whole appearance seemed to indicate the immature youth of seventeen or eighteen, rather, than the full grown man of twenty-two. But when he stood up in the pulpit they be¬ held in that same boy preacher all the maturely expanded symmetrical proportions of an accom¬ plished minister of Christ, intellectually, morally, religiously and officially. Now he was no longer the pale thin visaged, shrinking youth, but the full-developed and fearless man of God, the un¬ flinching champion of the cross. The fire of his piercing black eye, his improved complexion, his animated countenance, the deep emphatic tones of his sonorous, voice, the living truths which he explained with such solemnity and impressiveness, and enforced with such a chain of manly argu¬ ment and close logical reasoning, and withal, the overpowering conviction with which he himself evidently felt every thought to which he gave ut¬ terance; all this invested him with a power in the sacred desk and secured to him a degree of attention and a command over his audience, which but few men in his day possessed. Now all thoughts of physical infirmity and personal di¬ minutiveness were forgetten, and it was the anointed one of the Lord, the impressive preach¬ er, the cogent reasoner, the learned exponent of God’s word, the bold undaunted proclaimer of sal¬ vation by faith in the blood of atonement, that was alone beheld and listened to with profound attention and intense emotion. Thus, while his services as minister compared well with those of his eloquent predecessor, his less prominent exter¬ ior in fact gave him an advantage. When our young minister arrived in Hagers¬ town, he found religion at a very low ebb. Mr. Gohring had only been there one year, when he returned to York, from which place he had been called, and his labors had been too few and far between in some five or six churches, to produce any material and permanent change for the bet¬ ter. The German Reformed, Episcopalians and Presbyterians were in no better condition. The Methodists had just commenced their operations. * * * * Presbyterians w r ere very leisurely keeping the Sabbath and waiting God’s time; while Lutherns and German Reformed thought themselves quite as good as their neighbors, though it is absolutely certain they were not a whit better than they ought to have been. Sunday schools, Bible classes, prayer meetings, weekly lectures, &c., had not yet been introduced. There were no stoves and no lamps in the churches, and night meetings were regarded as “new measures” and as tending to fanaticism, though for dancing, play¬ ing cards, &c., they were thought to be very ap¬ propriate. Conversion was a strange word, ana revivals were unknown. Methodists indeed, and they alone, talked about conversion, and some few among them, we presume, knew from personal experience what it meant. In other churches also, the Lord doubtless had his chosen few, but they were like the gleanings of the olive tree, two or three on the topmost branches. The cock-pit, the race course, the long bullet lane, the dog and bear fight, &c., were more numerously attended than the house of God. On the whole, darkness comparatively covered the land and gross dark¬ ness the people. Such was the state of things when our young preacher located in Hagerstown. He had an ar¬ duous task to perform; but he entered upon it with energy, prosecuted it with fidelity, and per¬ severed in it for sixteen years. One of his church¬ es was 2 miles distant; another 5; a third 6; and the fourth 10. Besides these, he frequently preached in school houses and private dwellings, in barns, at cross-roads, at funerals, &c. When he was to fill an appointment in one of his. coun- 396 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD try churches on Sunday morning, he was wont to visit the neighborhood on the preceding Saturday; call a meeting at some farmer’s house in the eve¬ ning, and preach to the collected neighbors with a simplicity and an earnestness, which God blessed to the conversion of many obdurate sinners. On such occasions he was not content to dispense the Word in the usual formal manner. After he had finished his sermon, he pushed aside the littie table before him containing the Bible and hymn book, walked out among the people, and with a countenance beaming with love and kindness, took his seat beside them and entered into a heart searching conversation with each person individ¬ ually, respecting the great work of regeneration by the Spirit and preparation for eternity. His meetings were thus often kept up till a late hour and until the whole audience were bathed in tears; sobs and groans of contrition were heard through- out the room. These were emphatically ‘'anxious meetings,” and sometimes half the seats in the room were “mourners’ seats.” The scoffer sneered, the infidel derided, and the worlding foamed and threatened, but the disenthralled, regenerate sin¬ ner blessed God for sending them the “boy preach¬ er.” • Dr. Schmucker resigned in 1810, and the next pastor was the Rev. Solomon Schaeffer who continued four years and died and was buried un¬ der the floor of the church where his ashes yet remain. He is described as “a splendid man. —splendid in his large, elegantly moulded form, its full-grown, manly and fair proportions, his noble countenance, perfect complexion and digni¬ fied movements, as well as in his fine intellect and superior preaching powers. He was not in any respect a whit behind his universally esteemed two brothers in the ministry, the one then located at Harrisburg, Pa., and the other at Frederick, Md. He too had his sobriquet, and he was as often called the ‘pretty preacher’ as by his proper name. But his was a stormy time. English preaching was introduced during his pastorate; and those who know how strong are the prejudices of the Germans in favor of their vernacular, with what pertinacity they cling to the language and usages of their fathers, and oppose every¬ thing new, may imagine the anguish of mind en¬ dured by the man of God in his faithful efforts to achieve the greatest amount of good to his people. The church was thrown into a vehement agitation, which had scarcely yet subsided when God suddenly delivered him from all his trials and took him to himself in a glorious heaven, where all nations and kindred and tongues con¬ spire to celebrate His praise and honor His name in a language alike understood by all. He died universally respected and loved, in the bloom of life, the full vigor of manhood, after having pre¬ viously to his last illness, always enjoyed the full plentitude of health, in the spring tide of effic¬ ient ministerial labor, and amid the most flattering prospects of long-continued and progressive useful¬ ness. Besides the amiable wife of his youth, he left an only child who became a Lutheran minis¬ ter.”* Writing of Captain George Shryock, a corres¬ pondent of the Hagerstown Herald and Torch¬ light, in 1810, gives a quaint description of St. John’s Church in the olden time. Capt. Shryock had left his home in Washington County for a time, and gone to live in Westmoreland County, Pa. “In the year 1803” says this correspondent, “he returned from Pa., and commenced the manu¬ facture of pumps. On his return he found St. John’s Lutheran Church on South Potomac street erected, the foundation of which was being laid when he departed in 1796. His father furnished all the laths for the building. The first pulpit m the Church was elevated to the height of twenty feet, six-sided, of a shape similar to a wine-glass and entered by a door. From it on the South side a circular stairway led down into a latticed room very small in its dimensions, set apart for the use of the minister. Above the pulpit was suspended a pyramidal sounding board with an opening of five feet. Within this opening was seen a large eye emblazoned, emblematic of the ‘all seeing eye.’ The church was uncarpeted and unheated. At that period of the Church’s history, any one who should have derived the comfort of a fire while listening to the preached word, would have at once been deemed guilty of sacrilege and gross impiety. So for many winters thereafter, the con¬ gregation sat with pious exaltation in the cold and comfortless church during Sabbath services. The collection bags were attached to rods about ten feet in length, under each bag hung a silken tassle, and in the cords of the tassle a little bell. When therefore the worthy deacons passed through *Rev B. Kurtz, in the Lutheran Observer. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 397 the aisles collecting the one thing necessary to^the support of the ministry, and came to him that slept, the tinkle, tinkle of the bell awoke the slum¬ being saint or sinner to the monetary wants of the church. The observance of the Sabbath was not as general as at the present day; Cock fighting at the Big Spring or Yellow Spring, now Ladle Spring, horse racing, bull baiting and other worldly amusements were the cause of much ab¬ senteeism from Sabbath services. Captain Shry- ock said the only and most effectual way by which the regular attendance of the church’s most wealthy male members was secured, was by elect¬ ing them to the office of elders and deacops. Rev. George Schmucker, D. D., was the first pastor of the church and preached in the German language. He was succeeded by Rev. Solomon Shaeffer who died in 1815 and his remains were interred in the central portions of the church, where is to be seen a memorial slab covering his grave. Rev. Benj. Kurtz, D. D., was his successor. In 1808 Cap¬ tain Shryock married Elizabeth Lewis, daughter of Captain Wm. Lewis, and in the same year both became members of St. John’s Church. In 1820 he was a lay delegate to the first General Syn¬ od of the Lutheran Church in America meeting in Hagerstown, and most remarkable to relate the last survivor. In 1813 he served as Captain in Ragan’s Regiment, Stansbury’s Brigade, in which David Artz, lately deceased, was 1st Lieut.; 2nd Lieut. - Posey; Ensign or color bearer, Christian Fechtig. After the repulse at Blad- ensburg, the Company on its arrival at Baltimore, was detailed to support Roger’s Battery.” ('apt. George Shryock, so long connected with St. John’s Church, and who died shortly before 1870, wrote in his old age the following account of himself: “I am one of three survivors of a large family of eleven children, born in -and near this town, between the years 1770 and 1793. It wants but three years of one hundred since the first was born, and she died in her 80th year; the second m the 82nd; the third in the 61st; the fourth in the 83rd; the fifth in the 82nd; the sixth in the 62nd; the seventh (himself) still lives, 84 years of age; the eighth died in infancy; the ninth in the 66th, the tenth still lives, 81 years of age; the eleventh still lives at 74 years of age. It is a little re¬ markable that although father and self have pass¬ ed more than one hundred years in this place and he rearing a family of ten children, yet there is no one but the infant above mentioned that lies in any of the burying grounds belonging to the two families. I am now (five years ago) eighty- four years old, yet I have never followed father nor mother nor sister nor brother nor child of my own to the grave. It is strange things will strike us as being remarkable, but the other day I hap¬ pened to see an instrument of writing signed by fifteen men forty-seven years ago. My name ap¬ pears thereon and the last on the list, I find that I am the last and only one left on the earth, the rest have all passed away and I am still here.” The correspondent above referred to, added the following: “George, son of John and Mary (nee Teagar¬ den,) Shryock, was born in 1783 in the Manor. In 1787, the family moved into Hagerstown and resided on Franklin street, opposite the Oak Spring. In 1796 his father, brother John and self went to Westmoreland County, Pa., which was at that time a very thickly wooded section of country, and was then receiving its first settlers. In one day with the help of a few neighbors they builded a log house in the woods. After harvest the family was removed thither-. The wagon, which conveyed the household goods to their new home, was the first one entering the County. All of the hauling of the settlers was done on heavy wooden sledges and their commercial relations with the settlements, as the distant towns and cities were termed, were sustained by pack-horse trains. These consisted of twenty-five or thirty mules or horses tandem each fastened to the tail of the one preceding, a bell upon their necks and the goods strapped or hung across their backs. This was a year after the Whiskey Insurrection.” The pastors of St. John’s have been as fol¬ lows : Rev. Charles Frederick Wildbahn, 1769; Rev. John George Young, 1773—1793; Rev. J. G. Schmucker, D. D., 1793—1810; Rev. Solomon Schaeffer, 1810—1815; Rev. Benjamin Kurtz, D. D., LL. D., 1815—1831; Rev. S. K. Hoshour, 1831 —1834; Rev. Charles F. Schaeffer, D. D. 1834— 1840; Rev. Ezra Keller, D. D., 1840—1844; Rev. Frederick W. Conrad, D. D., LL. D., 1844—1850; Rev. F. R. Anspach, D. D., 1850—1857; Rev. Reuben Hill, D. D., 1857—1860; Rev. J. Evans, 1860—1867; Rev. T. T. Titus, 1867—1869; Rev. S. W. Owen, D. D., 1869— When the pastorate of Dr. Owen began in 1869 the church officers were as follows: 398 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Elders—John Cook, Samuel Seibert, Treas.; Peter J. Adams, Sec’y., Lewis Schindel, David Ridenour, J. J. Luther, William Marr, Darnel Huyett. Deacons.—Matthew S. Barber, John II. Kaus- ler, John D. Middlekauff, J. Hanson Kridler, Luther Nichols. Thirty-five years later the officers were: Elders—Jacob P. Maisack, Geo. B. Oswald, Sec’y., William Danzer, David W. McCoy, IvL. P. Moller, 0. J. Young. Deacons—John L. Bikle, deceased, William II. Fridinger, George W. Fridinger, John H. Jones, John S. Xausler, Treas., George P. Lam¬ bert. Of the officers of 18C9 all but one or two had died before Dr. Owen celebrated his thirty-fifth anniversary. John Cook was one of the leading and active citizens of Hagerstown, who took part in establishing the Hagerstown Agricultural Im¬ plement Manufacturing Company, and was promi¬ nent in many enterprises. Matthew S. Barber was treasurer of Hagerstown during the Civil War. In 1867, he was elected Register of Wills and served six years. Then he gave his attention to the Hagerstown Bank of which he had long been director and then became vice-president and then President upon the death of William T. Hamilton. He was a man of great business capacity, a large property owner, and distinguished for his accurate judgment and his civic virtues. He died in 1893. John H. Kausler was cashier or teller of the Ha¬ gerstown Bank for forty years. In 1866, he was elected cashier and in 1873 resigned, and became teller in order to make way for his brother, Joseph Kausler, who became cashier in his place. John Kausler retained his place in the bank until his death in 1896. He was greatly beloved by the people of Hagerstown for his unfailing piety and charity. John Henry Kausler was a son of Jacob and Catharine (Shall) Kausler, born in Hagers¬ town in 1823. His wife was Prudence Chaney. Mr. John S. Kausler succeeded his fath¬ er in the church and in the bank and inherited his virtues and popularity as well as his offices. John L. Bikle, who at the time of his death in 1904, was a deacon in St. John’s, was also cashier of the Hagerstown Bank. Mr. Bikle had won for himself a high reputation as clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, through a num¬ ber of years, and upon him the Board largely relied for the administration of the affairs of the County. He possessed great’ business ability, incorruptable honesty and an exceptional faculty for inspiring confidence and making friends. His capacity m dealing with the affairs of > County attracted the attention of William T. Hamilton, President of the Bank, and he was engaged as book keeper. When Edward W. Mealey resigned the place of cashier, Mr. Bikle succeeded to it. There al¬ most seems to have been some connection between St. John’s Church and the Hagerstown Bank, for another of the elders, George B. Oswald, was for a number of years before he became clerk of the Circuit Court, the book-keeper for the bank. Rev. Dr. S. W. Owen who has been pastor of the largest congregation of any denomination in Washington County for not less than thirty-seven years, down to this writing in 1906, was born in Franklin County, Pa., near the town of Scotland, on September 13, 1837. His parents were John W. and Elizabeth (KiefEer) Owen. Dr. Owen at¬ tended a public school in Franklin County of which his father was the teacher. His father died when Dr. Owen was eighteen years of age. He then went to Richland County, Ohio, where he taught school and studied law. Before entering the bar, he determined to study for the ministry, and en¬ tered the Missionary Institute of Theology, now the Susquehanna University, in Snyder County, Pa., about 1860. He graduated in 1863; was li¬ censed to preach in 1864, and was ordained that year by the West Pennsylvania Synod. His first charge was at Centrevillc, Cumber¬ land County, Pa. In 1866, he went to Woods- boro, Frederick County, Md., where he was pastor of five congregations. In November, 1869, he be¬ came pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hagerstown, which place he has occu¬ pied down to the present time. In that time the congregation and all its activities have been greatly enlarged; the church has been remodeled three times, the improvements costing over $60,- 000. Dr. Owen is an eloquent preacher and has always been greatly beloved by his congregation. He is President of the Susquehanna University; a director of the Home for the Aged in Wash¬ ington D. C.; has been president of the Maryland Synod two terms, and a delegate to the General Synod of the United States eight or ten times. In 1892, the degree of Doctor of Divinity was con¬ ferred on him by Newbury College, S. C. In 1862 Dr. Owen married Miss Cordelia A. Levers, daugh¬ ter of Colonel and Mrs. Joseph Levers, of Mon- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 399 tour County, Pa. They had five children, three of whom grew up, namely Clarence W. Owen, of Chicago; Newton S. Owen, of Joliett, and Eva May, the wife of N. J. Brandt, of Hagerstown. Just before the accession of the Rev. Dr. Owen to the pastorate of St. John’s, in 1868, about sixty or seventy members left to organize themselves into a separate congregation. They bought a lot on Franklin street from E. M. Recher, for $3,500, and built upon it a church at a cost of $32,000, work upon which began Oct. 1, 1868. The Rev. T. T. Titus, then pastor of St. John’s, accepted the pastorship of the new church, which increased in numbers, and is flourishing, prosperous and doing a good work down to this day. The first trustees of Trinity were Martin Startzman, Wilson L. Hays and Frederick J. Posey. The building com¬ mittee were Dr. J. E. Herbert, Lewis L. Mentzer, F. J. Posey, Jonathan Schindel, Otho Swingiev and George W. Stover. The church was dedicated October 3, 1869. On the night of May 29, 1879, the Washing¬ ton House, the principal hotel of Hagerstown, was burned down. The fire broke out in the dead of night while the hotel was filled with guests. Mrs. George Middlekauff was the proprietress at the time. Several of the guests were slightly injured. Two, F. B. Snively, of Shady Grove, Pa., and J. E. Troxell, of Hancock, were fatally burned. J. IT. Exline and Solomon Jenkins, of Hancock, were seriously injured. The rest escaped uninjured. The building was insured for $21,000. The Wash¬ ington House was built on the site of the old Glob®. Tavern, one of the historic hostelries of Hagers¬ town in 1856. It was in its day a pretentious building. It was situated on Washington street, opposite the Hagerstown Bank, where the Baldwin House now stands. The owners of the Washing¬ ton House were a company of which J. Dixon Ro¬ man was president. After the Washington House burned, the company acquired the adjoining lot, and added it to the site upon which the Baldwin House was erected. It was named after Mr. C. Co¬ lumbus Baldwin who married Mr. Roman’s daugh¬ ter, and represented his interest in the property. The Baldwin was built by Mr. Baldwin, Edward W. Mealey, Dr. Josiah F. Smith, David C. Ham¬ mond and William T. Hamilton. With the hotel, a fine theatre, the Academy of Music, was included and it attracted to Hagerstown actors and plays of merit. Although he was the owner of a considerable interest in the Baldwin House, William T. Hamil¬ ton, not long after it was built determined to build a hotel in Hagerstown which would be superior to almost any other in the State outside of Baltimore. He rightly believed that such a hotel would be of vast advantage to the town. He acquired the old Antietam House, which occupied the lot on Wash¬ ington street where under various names a tavern had been conducted from the early history of the town. This lot not being large enough, Mr. Ham¬ ilton bought the stone house adjoining, which was also a historic building. In it Nathaniel Roches¬ ter was living when he moved away to the Gen- essee country, in western New York, and in it he had founded the Hagerstown Bank. The Antie¬ tam House was supposed, at the time of its de¬ molition, to be about a hundred years old. At one time its name was the “Southern and West¬ ern.’’ Again it was called the Bell Tavern. The Hotel Hamilton cost about $125,000. It was opened for guests in 1887 and George W. Har¬ ris was the first proprietor. Mr. Hamilton’s ex¬ pectation that it would be of advantage to the town was entirely justified by the event. CHAPTER XXVI • T WAS not characteristic of the people of B Washington County to remain inactive un- der misfortune and the war was no sooner ended than they turned their faces to the future and endeavored to mend their condition. Some of their public efforts were crowned with abundant success and some turned out badly. In the latter class were a number of manufacturing enterprises which caused great loss and ended in disaster. One of the first works of a public nature which were undertaken about this time was the improvement of the facilities of transportation. Hagerstown as has been said before had been greatly isolated since the end of the turnpike and staging days and she was cut off from her natural market at Baltimore. The canal carried a large quantity of wheat and flour to Georgetown and for a time there had been considerable freight carried by wagons to Frederick and shipped from that city by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. But after the re¬ habilitation of the old Franklin Railroad and its incorporation with the Cumberland Valley road the trade of Washington County had been largely di¬ verted to Philadelphia. This did not suit the Hagerstown people. Philadelphia was twice as far as Baltimore and the freight rates on wheat and other farm products was high. There was therefore a general desire for direct communication with Baltimore by rail. This could be had by the construction of a road 24 miles in length from Hagerstown to intersect the main line of the Bal¬ timore and Ohio at Weverton, three miles east from Harper’s Ferry. Such a road would bring Hagerstown by this route within 103 miles of Baltimore, whereas the distance by the Cumber¬ land Valley and Northern Central was about 170 miles. The road to Weverton, it was also ppinted out, would provide transportation for a large and fertile section of the County which at that time had no access to the markets except by wagons and mostly over extremely bad roads. As early as 1857 the movement for the construction of this branch road began and a meeting was held to promote it. The great difficulty was in providing the money. The road would cost a million dollars and to get that sum subscribed in Washington County, where there were no men of great wealth, was out of the question. The meeting adopted resolutions asking the legislature to authorize Washington County to subscribe to $250,000 of the stock and to issue bonds to pay for it. A com¬ mittee composed of Dr. Thomas Maddox, J. Dixon Roman, T. G. Robertson, William Dodge and James Wason, was sent to Baltimore to enlist the aid of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company. But their mission was not successful and the un¬ settled political conditions and finally the Civil War caused the scheme to be abandoned for the time. But before the war ended it was revived and on March 10, 1864 the legislature passed the act of incorporation. .The incorporators and first board of directors were Isaac Nesbitt, George S. Kennedy, Jacob A. Miller, Johns Hopkins, Gallo¬ way Cheston, Peter B. Small and Robert Fowler. The capital stock was $1,000,000 the shares $20 each. There the matter rested for a year and a half longer. In September 1865, three of the County Commissioners, William Roulette, Elias E. Rohrer,and John Reichard, accompanied by Dr. 402 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Thomas Maddox, George S. Kennedy, Jacob A. Miller, Peter B. Small, Thomas A. Boultt, Dr. A. A. Biggs and A. R. Appleman, had a conference at Camden station with John W. Garrett, presi¬ dent of the Baltimore & Ohio Company. The Baltimore & Ohio then subscribed for stock to the amount of $750,000, Washington County took $150,000 and $100,000 more was sub¬ scribed for by individuals, principal among whom were Johns Hopkins $12,000, Robert Garrett & Sons, $10,000, Robert Fowler, $10,000, A. Gregg & Co. $4,000, Samuel Wilhelm, $2,000. The cit¬ izens of Washington County who subscribed were George Scott Kennedy, Edward M. Mealey, Jacob A. Miller, Peter B. Small and others. Work was begun without delay, the surveys being made un¬ der the direction of Mr. John L. Randolph, after¬ wards for years chief engineer of the Baltimore & Ohio. The last rail was laid on November 21, 1867, and the running of trains between Hagers¬ town and Weverton began. The first consignment of freight to be shipped was a lot of wheat sent by Samuel Emmert. For 10 years, that is until 1877, this trans¬ action cost Washington County but little. The County, to get money to pay for its stock issued 6 per cent, bonds which had to be sold below par as money at that time was worth more than that rate of interest. But the Baltimore & Ohio Company leased and operated the Washington County road for 10 years, paying 6 per cent, on the stock. This brought to the County a sum almost sufficient to pay the interest on the bonds. But in 1877, when the lease expired the Baltimore & Ohio de¬ clined to renew it but operated the road keeping account of receipts and expenditures. This brought the company in debt to the Baltimore & Ohio each year for a long time and the County Commissioners were compelled to levy taxes to pay the interest on the bonds along with a fund for ultimate redemption. This money was invest¬ ed in the bonds and they were cancelled as bought. Finally in 1905, the Baltimore & Ohio Company bought the stock of Washington County, paying therefor $55,000. The first President of the com¬ pany was Edward M. Mealey of Washington County and he was succeeded by Robert Fowler, who continued in the presidency until his death. These presidents however took no part in conduct¬ ing the operations of the road. That was done by the Baltimore & Ohio Company. Before the construction of the Washington County railroad was completed the County Com¬ missioners were listening to appeals for a subscrip¬ tion to a rival road to Baltimore, namely the Western Maryland. The fertile section in the north eastern portion of the County was without any transportation facilities and the people living in the Chewsville, Cavetown, Deitersburg and Ringgold districts, were clamorous for the exten¬ sion of the Western Maryland railroad to Hagers¬ town. It was also the plan to continue it on to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal at Williamsport m the hope of diverting to Baltimore a large part of the coal which came down in boats from Cum¬ berland. In 1866 the legislature authorized Washing¬ ton County to subscribe for $150,000 of the stock of the company and to issue bonds to pay for it. The subscription was made and subsequently the County Commisisoners in order to secure the com¬ pletion of the road to Williamsport, endorsed the second mortgage 6 per cent, bonds of the com¬ pany to the extent of $300,000. The stock never paid any dividends and the company defaulted upon its endorsed bonds for many years until Washington County had paid nearly $325,000 in interest upon those it had endorsed besides carry¬ ing its own bonds which had been issued to pay for the stock. In about 1885 the Western Maryland Com¬ pany being in urgent need of money for equip¬ ment and betterments, applied to the city of Bal¬ timore for more aid. The city agreed to supply a large sum provided Washington County would surrender its lien under the second mortgage for the interest it had paid on those bonds. After considerable negotiation an agreement was reach¬ ed by which the County was relieved of its ob¬ ligation as endorser of the $300,000 of bonds and received for the sum it had paid in interest on those bonds preferred stock to the amount of $321,000. The relief from the annual payment of $18,000 interest as endorsers caused a consider¬ able reduction in the tax rate of Washington County from that time on. When the old Baltimore & Susquehanna road was begun shortly after the beginning of the Bal¬ timore & Ohio, a branch line starting from the main stem at a point 8 miles from Baltimore was begun westward through Green Spring Valley, the intention being to continue it on to, the western part of the State. But only 9 miles of the branch line was ever completed and this was opened for OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. travel on the 26th of May 1832. Twenty years later, on May 27, 1852 the legislature chartered the Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Railroad Company, authorized it to build a road to the headwaters of the Monocacy River, which might start either at the end of the Green Spring Valley road or at Baltimore. The next year the name of the company was changed to the “Western Mary¬ land it was authorized to build a road to Hagers¬ town and to issue bonds for one million dollars. Robert M. McGraw was the first president of the Company and it was decided to begin building at the Green Spring terminus and to use the North¬ ern Central for access to the city. August 11, 1859 the road was opened to Owings Mills and on June 15, 1861 to Westminster. The next year it went 12 miles westward to Union Bridge and that was the western terminus until January 9, 1871, when it was opened for business to Mc- chanicstown, now Thurmont, at the foot of the mountains, fifty-nine miles from Baltimore. Five years previously the work of grading west of the mountain had begun because it was provided in the law authorizing Washington County to take $150,000 of the stock, that the money subscribed should be expended within the County. Much dif¬ ficulty was encountered in blasting through the ex¬ cessively hard rock on the mountain top with the imperfect appliances of those days and before the use of dynamite for blasting. To avoid one ledge of rock, which has soipe copper in it, the road was deflected across Mason and Dixon line into Penn- sjdvana, in which State short portions of the track at Blue Ridge Summit and at Pen Mar lie. It was strongly urged that this road could not be made to pay because so large a portion of its track lay in an unproductive and almost unin¬ habited mountain district, almost one-fifth of the entire distance from Baltimore to Hagerstown. But when Mr. John M. Hood became President he quickly discerned the possibility of the moun¬ tains. He established Pen Mar park, built the observatory, encouraged the building of the Blue Mountain and other hotels and under the encour¬ agement of low rates, a populous summer colony grew up at and around Blue Ridge Slummit and so a wise policy made the wild mountains the most profitable part of the territory tributary to the road. The track building eastward from Hagers¬ town was coupled with that portion east of the mountains in the spring of 1872, and on June 6 of that year the first train direct from Baltimore reached Hagerstown. It was hailed with delight by the people of Washington County and its- first result was to add about 5 cents per bushel to wheat in the Hagerstown market. In procuring the con¬ struction of the road across the mountain into Washington County, Edwin Bell the‘editor of the Hagerstown Mail was the leader and subsequent events fully vindicated him and established the correctness of his judgment. The first agent of the Western Maryland Com¬ pany in Hagerstown was B. Howell Griswold, a native of Hagerstown, then a young man who had served with Charles E. Ways, then Hagerstown agent of the Baltimore & Ohio. Both these men, by their efficiency, attracted the attention of the managers of their respective companies. Mr. Ways became General Freight Agent of the Bal¬ timore & Ohio in Baltimore and Mr. Griswold was soon made General Passenger Agent of the West¬ ern Maryland. Later he was for a time Gen¬ eral Traffic Manager of the reorganized system. The Western Maryland road was completed to the canal at Williamsport and the first trains were run on December 17, 1873. The first train brought to Williamsport the Governor of Mary¬ land, William Pinkney Whyte, officials of the City of Baltimore and of the State and a great number of citizens who were entertained by the people of Williamsport at a banquet in the public school house. About the same time ten miles of track from Green Spring Junction to Baltimore at Ful¬ ton street, was completed and the trains of the road had no longer to use the Northern Central tracks in order to reach the city. Perhaps the most important event in the history of the Western Maryland road down to its sale in 1902, was the election of John Miffiin Hood as President of the company in 1874. He held the office of President and General Manager for more than twenty-eight years and when he retired the testimonial which he valued most was a piece of silver which came from the employes of the company as a testimonial of their esteem and their confidence in his even handed justice, while dealing with them. Another testimonial came in the form of a magnificent silver service from citizens of Baltimore in recognition of his public services in building up the road and with it expanding the trade of the city. John M. Hood is a native'of Howard County, and son of Dr. Benjamin and Hanna Miffiin Hood. 404 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD He attended school at Rugby Institute, Mt. Wash¬ ington, and then became a civil engineer. After working upon various railroad surveys he went to Brazil in 1861, returned home the following year and entered the service of the Confederate States as topographical engineer on a military road from Danville to Greensboro. He then, de¬ clining a commission, enlisted as a private in the Second Battalion Maryland Infantry. In 1864 he accepted a commission as lieutenant of engi¬ neers. He served to the end of the war and was several times wounded. After the surrender he was employed on various railroads and for a time, was superintendent of the Philadelphia, Wilming¬ ton and Baltimore road. After his election to the Presidemry, March 24, 1874, Mr. Hood at once undertook the work of improvement which con¬ verted a bankrupt company with a dilapidated road 90 miles in length into a well equipped sys¬ tem worth many million dollars. The Emmits- burg branch was completed in 1875. Mr. Hood then secured a contract with the Baltimore and Potomac Company for the use of the tunnel, so that the Western Maryland trains could use Union Station and reach Hillen in the heart of the city. This was essential as the road could not get business with a terminus so remote as Fulton Station. Then followed the construction of tracks and buildings at Hillen Station, Baltimore, and the building of the Baltimore and Cumberland Vai* ley line to Waynesboro, with its subsequent exten¬ sion to Chamhersburg and Shippensburg and its connection with the Harrisburg and Potomac (now Philadelphia and Reading) at the latter point; the establishing of connection at Hagers¬ town with the Shenandoah Valley (now Norfolk and Western) and the Washington County branch of the Baltimore and Ohio; the control by lease and ownership of stock of the Baltimore and Han¬ over and the Hanover Junction, Hanover and Gettysburg Railroad Companies; the building of the mountain line (Baltimore and Harrisburg Western Extension) to connect the latter system with the Western Marjdand main line at the sum¬ mit of the Blue Ridge. The building of the main-line extension, the Potomac Valley and the Potomac Valley of West Virginia, to a connection with the Baltimore and Ohio main line at Cherry Run next followed; then the Baltimore and Harrisburg eastern ex¬ tension to York; then the “cut-off” line between Hagerstown and Chamhersburg, made up of the Hagerstown and State line in Maryland and the Washington and Franklin in Pennnsylvania. Sub¬ sequently the line between Cherry Run and Ship¬ pensburg, which was handling a heavy through business between the Baltimore and Ohio, the Nor¬ folk and Western and the Philadelphia and Read¬ ing, had its capacity increased by the construction of long sections of double track, the building of long and frequent sidings and the enlargement of yard accommodations, until its capacity was probably greater than that of any single-track rail¬ road in the country of similar characteristics. A contract with the Baltimore & Ohio and the Reading Railroad Companies brought to the Western division of the Western Maryland a vast traffic in hauling coal from the former road at Cherry Run, W. Va., to the Reading near Ship¬ pensburg. A contract had also been executed with the South Penn Company by which Baltimore was to be reached by the South Penn road over the Western Maryland. But the splendid prospect was lost through the abandonment of the South Penn. After a protracted contest among rival bid¬ ders, covering a period of more than three months, the sale of the interests of Baltimore City in the Western Maryland Railroad to a syndicate headed by E. L. Fuiler, representing the Gould, or Wa¬ bash railroad interests, for $8,751,370.45, was con¬ summated May 7, 1902. The other bidders in ac¬ tive competition were: Hambleton & Co., of Baltimore, in connection with the Geo. D. Cook Company, of New York and Chicago, $9,250,000. A syndicate headed by W. W. Varney, $10,- 100,000. The Reading Company, $10,001,000. The contest finally narrowed down to consid¬ eration of the Fuller, the Varney and Reading bids, and the effect the sale to either of them would have On the trade and other interests of Baltimore. The weight of the public influence and of the press was strongly favorable to the Gould-Wabash connection. It was thought that more was to be gained for the city by favoring the Goulds than by helping their antagonists. Great stress was laid upon the much larger cash bids of Varney and the Reading, but the tempting offers were put aside for the more important consideration implied by the Wabash needs of an Atlantic Coast outlet, of terminals at Baltimore and of the helpfulness OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 407 such a connection would be to the larger trade and manufacturing interests of the city. It was agreed in advance that the purchasers of the city’s holdings in the railroad should also buy the holdings of Washington County, and this was done. They got 2,200 shares from Washing¬ ton County and 4,000 shares from Baltimore City, which added to 800 shares previously owned by them, made 7,000 shares, a majority of the whole common or voting stock, which was 13,699 shares of the par value of $50 each. In addition to the shares of the common stock which the Fuller syn¬ dicate got from Washington County it got $324,- 000 of preferred stock, which, however, has not voting privilege. The cash consideration paid to Washington County was $434,000, the par value of the stock. The charter of the company conferred upon the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore the right to appoint a majority of the directors. But that feature of the charter was repealed at the January session of the Legislature of 1902. The purchasers were, therefore, in a position to elect their own directors and to take possession of the property immediately thereafter, which was done. The officers of the Western Maryland Rail¬ road Company, as reorganized July 8, 1902, were as follows: President—Winslow S. Pierce. Vice-President—Fairfax S. Landstreet. Directors—Winslow S. Pierce, Geo. J. Gould, John W. Gates, Edwin Gould, Henry B. Henson, Lawrence Greer, W. Ii. McIntyre, of Neiy York; F. S. Landstreet, Gen. John M. Hood, S. Davies Warfield, George R. Gaither, Gen. Thos. J. Shry- ock and Charles W. Slagle. After the purchase of the road the new own¬ ers continued to operate it under its old charter which is a very liberal one, although it makes no exemption from taxation. The road has a charter to extend its track to Cumberland and the Act of 1902 is mandatory upon the purchasers to make that extension or a suitable connection by another road. The work of constructing the 65 miles of track through the mountains from Cherry Run to Cumberland was speedily begun. Trains be¬ gan running on schedule as far as' Hancock early in 1905 and before the end of that year the road to Cumberland was nearly completed. Of the 65 miles newly constructed 20 miles lie in Washing¬ ton County. The entire mileage of the road in this County is not far from 75 miles. Legislative action was necessary to enable the company to con¬ struct the road on certain lands belonging to the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Western Mary¬ land Company found it to their advantage to pur¬ chase the stock in this canal, being a majority, owned by the State of Maryland. The owner¬ ship of this stock enabled the company they be¬ lieved, to overcome obstructions and obtain con¬ cessions from the trustees which they otherwise might have been unable to secure. This exten¬ sion to Cumberland was constructed in the best manner without regard to cost and it will neces¬ sarily be of enormous advantage in the develop¬ ment of Washington County and in promoting the trade of Hagerstown. Simultaneously with the construction of the extension the work of improv¬ ing the grades-and alignment of the eastern di¬ vision of the road began, with a view to the eco¬ nomical handling of the great coal traffic .to come from the West Virginia Central and Pittsburg road which the purchasers of the Western Mary¬ land had already bought when they bought the Western Maryland and to connect with which at Cumberland, the Cumberland extension was built. The expectation was that both these roads would be connected with the Wabash system at Pittsburg. Before building the Western extension the West¬ ern Maryland, according to the agreement with Baltimore City, had already been carried to the water front at Port Covington, Baltimore, and that line was opened for traffic, September, 1904. After retiring from the Presidency of the Western Maryland in 1903, Mr. Hood became president of the United Railways, of Baltimore. He is regarded as a benefactor of Washington County no less than of Baltimore City. The sale of its holdings in the Western Mary¬ land Company enabled Washington County to pay its entire bonded debt in 1902, leaving it free from debt for the first time since 1865. All the bonds of the County were not due and payable at the time but a sufficient sum for their payment when due was put in a trust company. It was greatly to be regretted that the large sum re¬ maining after the public debt had been provided for was not devoted to some public improvment. Instead it was used in the ordinary expenses of the County government, causing a reduction in tax¬ ation for one year. CHAPTER XXVII OLITICS had not been entirely in abeyance during the progress of the war, but the political contests had been entirely one sided. The Democratic party, which had always been so powerful in the County, had be¬ come in the public mind identified with the cause of secession, and disloyalty to the United States. And this sentiment was none the less pronounced because a large number of the Federal volunteers from the County had been' Democrats. It was therefore useless for the Democratic party to put any candidates in the field, and especially so be¬ cause of the registration law that had been enacted while the war was in progress. 1 Under this law, as it was administered, about two thousand white adults were prohibited from voting. Not only did the law require that a man should be loyal to the Government in. order to entitle him to vote, but under a set of questions required by the Governor in 1865 to be put to applicants for registration, a man might disfranchise himself by the oper¬ ation of his mind. If at any time he had wished for a Confederate victory, he could not vote. President Lincoln having issued his procla¬ mation granting freedom to the slaves in the se¬ ceded States, the question of abolishing slavery in Maryland came under discussion. In January, 1864, the Legislature passed an act providing for a Constitutional convention to accomplish this ob¬ ject—that being the only way in which it could be done. The bill passed both Houses of the General Assembly on January 28. The vote in the Senate was 13 in the affirmative to 2 in the negative. In the House it was 48 to 17. The election “for or against a convention” took place on the first Wednesday in April, and delegates to the convention were elected at the same time. The vote of Washington County was 3298 for the' con¬ vention to 651 against it. The delegates elected were Peter Negley, Henry W. Dellinger, James P. Mayhugli, John E. Sneary, Lewis B. Nyman and Joseph F. Davis. The vote on the adoption of the new constitu¬ tion was taken on the 12th and 13th of October 1864. A feature of the election which was unusu¬ al at that time, but has since become common, was that by resolution of the convention a portion of the new constitution went into effect before it was adopted by the people. That is to say, the oath' prescribed for voters in the new instrument was required to be taken by those who voted on its adoption. The vote of Washington County was 2441 for the adoption of the Constitution, and 985 against it. The dissatisfaction with the operation of the registration law enacted under the new constitu¬ tion was so great that when the Democratic party began to revive in 1866, there was a call for a State convention to protest against it. The dele¬ gates sent by Washington County to this conven¬ tion were Richard H. Alvey, James Wason, Zach- ariah S. Clagett, David Cushwa, William Dodge and George Schley. As soon as the war was over, and the Union was safe, many who had abandoned the Democratic party returned to their old affiliation and for a few years after the war, Washington County was almost uniformly in the Democratic column. An election for or against a Constitutional convention was held April 13, 1867. Party lines were drawn on this issue, the Repub- 410 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD lieans opposing the call for a convention and the Democrats favoring it. The convention was called by a large majority, and Washington County voted for it, sending as her delegates Richard H. Alvey, Andrew K. Syester, Joseph Murray, S. S. Cunningham, William Motter and George W. Pole. In the convention Mr. Alvey took a leading part as chairman of the committee on representation and it was he who afterward drafted the jury system so long in force in the State. The new Constitution was submitted to the people on September 18, 1867 and was ratified by a heavy majority, Washington County declaring for it by a vote of 2,658 to 2,527. It is a remark¬ able fact that this Constitution framed by a con¬ vention composed exclusively of Democrats and adopted whilst the fierce passions of Civil War were at their highest tide, is still retained and every effort to supplant it has been more vigorously opposed by the party that voted against its adop¬ tion. Two months after the adoption of the Con¬ stitution, that is on November 5, 1867, the first State election under it took place and for the first time in a good many years a Democrat was elected Governor. Indeed, the revulsion against the party which had been supreme for some five years was so great, that at this election every official in Maryland, every Judge, every member of the Legislature and every County and City official was a Democrat. In Washington County Oden Bowie, a Democratic candidate for Governor received 3,226 votes to 2,760 for Hugh L. Bond the Republican candidate. The next year at the Presidential election the vote of the County was 3,114 for Seymour and 3,056 for Grant. Four years previously, the vote had been for Lincoln 2,984, McClellan 1,402. In these years immediately succeeding the war many men of standing and ability who because of their sympathy with the South had beeen per¬ mitted to take no part in public affairs, again took position as leaders of the people. At the election in 1867 Richard FI. Alvey was elected Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, and as such was a member of the Court of Appeals; and William Motter was elected Associate Judge. Judge Alvey began then a career on the bench which was to ex¬ tend through" thirty-seven years until he retired of his own volition from the federal bench in 1904. Judge Motter served one full term of fifteen years, until 1882, when he was succeeded by Andrew K. Syester. A few years later Judge Motter died having earned the respect and esteem of his peo¬ ple as a just Judge. In 1868 William T. Hamilton was elected to the United States Senate by a vote of 56 to 46 for Thomas Swann, 7 for William M. Merrick and 1 for Thomas G. Pratt. Down to the Civil War William T. Hamilton, while one of the recognized leaders of the Demo¬ cratic party in Washington County, had confined his attention politically, almost exclusively to the County and Congressional district which he had represented several times in the House of Repre¬ sentatives. In 1868, he was elected to the United States Senate for the term beginning March 4, 1869. At the end of that term, he devoted himself to State and County politics, and for many years Washington County figured conspicuously in the State politics of both parties. At the election of 1867, Washington County, like the rest of the State, went Democratic. Judge Daniel Weisel was taken from the bench of the Court of Appeals by the Constitution of 1867, and Richard H. Al¬ vey was elected that year to the court. Judge Weisel had been a Whig and became an ardent Republican. He was bom in Williamsport, Sep¬ tember 25, 1803, graduated at Princeton in 1S24, entered the Bar in 1826, established a newspaper called the Banner in Williamsport in 1830. In 1838 he removed to Hagerstown. In 1847 Judge Pratt appointed him associate Judge to succeed Judge Thomas Buchanan, deceased. Four years later, the new Constitution legislated him out of office. In 1861 he was elected Judge of the Fourth Circuit and in 1864 was elected to the Court of Appeals. For the second time, in 1868, the adop¬ tion of the new Constitution vacated his seat on the bench. In that year he was the Republican candidate for Congress, but was defeated. He spent the remainder of his life practicing law in Hagerstown, for some time in partnership with Louis E. McComas, who had studied law in his office. He died September 25, 1880, at the age of seventy-seven years. The election in the fall of 1867-was a memorable one. Soldiers from both armies had returned to their homes and the par¬ ties assumed their normal proportions. The Dem¬ ocratic candidate for Governor, Oden Bowie, re¬ ceived 3,332 votes and Hugh Lennox Bond, the Republican candidate 2,913. From that time down to the present, the parties have been almost evenly divided, only now and then, for some ex- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAEYLAND. 411 ceptional reason, giving a large majority one way or the other. Yery frequently portions of each ticket are elected and upon more than one oc¬ casion there have been tie votes. It is also a remarkable fact that certain dis¬ tricts have for more than a century given major¬ ities for the same party. Those portions of the County that gave majorities for Jefferson in 1800, gave majorities for Jackson in 1828 and in 1832 and for Cleveland in 1884, in 1888 and 1892. Sharpsburg was a federal stronghold in 1800, a Whig stronghold in 1832, and is a Republican stronghold now. The same is true of Pleasant Yalley. Funkstown, Williamsport and Hagers¬ town, were always, except on rare occasions, Dem¬ ocratic. As has been already said, the Democratic party in Washington County in 1867 elcted every one of its candidates. To the bench, under the new Constitution as has already been stated, there were elected for the Fourth Circuit, composed of the three Western counties, Richard Henry Alvey, Chief Judge and member of the Court of Appeals, William Motter of Washington County and Thom¬ as Perry, of Allegany County, associates. Janies FI. Grove was elected to the State Senate; and to the House of Delegates, Andrew K. Syester, James Coudy, F. Dorsey Herbert, Elias E. Rohrer and David Seibert. These men participated in the election of Mr. Hamilton to the Federal Senate. William McK. Keppler was elected clerk of the Circuit Court and Matthew S. Barber was Regis¬ ter of Wills. Henry H. Keedy was elected State’s Attorney. He had come to the Bar in 1865 and when elected had only been practicing two years. Nevertheless he made a great reputa¬ tion as an able, earnest and efficient official. At the end of his term, he was nominated for re- election but was defeated by John C. Zeller, Re¬ publican. Mr. Zeller died in 1873, and then the Court appointed Mr. Keedy to fill his unexpired term. At the next election, that for President in 1868, Horatio Seymour, carried Washington Coun¬ ty over Grant by a vote of 3,114 to 3,056. Pat¬ rick Hamill, of Garrett County was elected to Congress! During the administration of Governor Oden Bowie, there arose the division of the Demo¬ cratic party of Washington County into two fac¬ tions, the “Hamilton faction” and the “canal fac¬ tion.” Governor Bowie had secured the election of Mr. James C. Clark to the Presidency of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. At the same time, Mr. Arthur P. Gorman, of Howard County, then a member of the Legislature, was appointed Di¬ rector. In the autumn of 1871, William Pinkney Whyte came forward as a candidate for Governor. Governor Bowie desired re-nomination, and Mr. Clark, President of the Canal was of course on the side of Governor Bowie. He conducted a cam¬ paign for him at the Democratic primaries in the counties through which the canal passes. The canal was in those days, and for many years after wards, a potent political machine. In country districts it is not usual, except in times of great excitement, for any large numbers to attend the primaries. It is therefore possible for a few men, working in each election district with a common purpose and under a good organization, to control County conventions. The Canal Company usu¬ ally employed as its superintendents and bosses, men of force and influence. It also employed a considerable number of men as laborers and lock- keepers, and the company could also control the votes of storekeepers along the canal, as well as of the boatmen. All this power was in the hands of the President of the canal. Mr. William T. Hamilton was in the United States Senate, and he would come up for re-elecr tion at the session of 1874. He espoused the cause of Mr. Whyte, against the advice, it has been said, of Mr. A. P. Gorman who was then Mr. Hamilton’s political friend. Nevertheless, Mr. Hamilton favored the nomination of Mr. Whyte, and made the fight for him at the primary elec¬ tions, while Mr. Clark supported Governor Bowie. The contest centered around the nomination for the State Senate, this being important because the Senator elected that year would be in the leg¬ islature in 1874, when the federal Senator would be elected. Mr. Hamilton’s candidate for the State Senate was Zachariah S. Clagett, a promi¬ nent member of the Bar; Mr. Clark’s candidate was Major Henry Kyd Douglas, a young and gal¬ lant Confederate soldier who had served on Stone¬ wall Jackson’s staff. Mr. Hamilton won. Mr. Clagett was nominated for the Senate, and subse¬ quently elected, and the County cast her vote at the State convention for the nomination of Mr. Whyte for Governor. This, Mr. Hamilton had occasion later to regret. Linked with the politi¬ cal fortunes of Mr. Whyte in that campaign was Andrew K. Syester, of Washington County, who was nominated for Attorney-General of Maryland 412 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD and along with the rest of the State Democratic ticket, was elected by a great majority. Andrew Kershncr Syester was one of the ablest and most brilliant trial lawyers the State has produced, and was for many years the leader of the Bar of Washington County while it was al¬ most the ablest Bar in Maryland. He was born in Berkeley County, Virginia, March 11, 1827, His father was Daniel Syester, also a native of that County. His mother, Sarah Moudy, was a native of Washington County. A. Iv. .Syester graduated at Franklin and Marshall College in 1849, and the next year settled in Hagerstown. In 1852 he entered the Bar; in She, he was elected to the House of Delegates, and the next year was elected State’s Attorney. In 1859 he was candidate for the Court of Appeals but was de¬ feated by Judge James L. Bartol by the narrow majority of seven votes. In 1854, Air. Syester was a candidate for Congress against Frank Thom¬ as and was again defeated. It is said, however, that in all his numerous candidacies his own County never failed to give him a majority. He was a man of marvelous personal magnetism and popularity. He was a member of the Constitu¬ tional convention of 1867, and the next year was elected to the Legislature. Before his election at Attorney General, Mr. Syester had established his reputation as a great criminal lawyer. One of the noted cases in which he wis engaged was his successful defense of Mrs. Mary E. Rowland, charged with the murder of her husband. The couple lived a few miles south of Hagerstown, near Chapel Woods on the Sharps- burg road. Isaac Rowland was brutally murdered and the people of the County were so largely of the opinion that his wife had killed him, that it was considered impossible to get an unprejudiced jury for the trial, and the case ’was moved to Al¬ legany County, where the woman was acquitted. While Attorney General, Mr .Syester was engaged in mam famous cases, the most important of which was the trial of Mrs. Mary E. Wharton, in¬ dicted m Baltimore for poisoning Gen. Ketch urn, of the United States Army. He also assisted Mr. Jofeil 0- Boiler in the prosecution of Joseph Davis for the murder of his employer, named Lynn. This case was removed from Carroll County. Da¬ vis was convicted and hung. The trial took place in Junior Hall, Hagerstown, in 1875. Mr. Syester was elected Associate Judge for the Fourth Circuit in November 1882 to sueeoed Judge William Motter whose term of 15 years ended then. Judge Syester’s opponent on the Republican ticket was his cousin, Edward Stake, whom he defeated by a half-dozen votes. Judge Syester died in 1891. Judge Thomas Perry died in 1871, and his successor had to be chosen in November of that year. Judge Motter was a resident of Washington County, and the Constitution provides that no two of the Associate Judges shall at the time of their election or during the term for which they may have been elected, reside in the same County. It was therefore necessary that J udge Perry’s success¬ or should reside in either Allegany or Garrett Coun¬ ty. Col. George Schley, of Washington County, was satisfied that if he went to Allegany County before the election to reside, he would be eligible. In this opinion he was fortified by the concurrence of his distinguished relative, AVilliam Schley, of Baltimore. He removed to Cumberland and was nominated for the bench, the delegates from Alle¬ gany County voting for him. But the people of that County were greatly offended by the nomi¬ nation of a Washington County man, the Chief Judge and one Associate being already in this County. George A. Pear re, a republican, was nominated on a so-called “non-partisan” ticket and was elected by a great majority. He died in I : 8B% before the expiration of his term. Col. George Schley was for fifty years an im¬ posing member of the Bar of Hagerstown. He was a man of fine presence, of graceful manners, and of great literary attainments. He was never an office-holder, and only on the occasion referred to when he ran for Judge did he seek office. In 1867, he could have had the nomination l’nr As¬ sociate Judge, and the nomination would have been followed by election, but he declined it. Col. Schley was the eldest son of Frederick A. Schley, a distinguished lawyer of Frederick and Eliza A, (MeCannon) Scldey. He was born in 1814 in Frederick; educated at Talc and the Univer¬ sity of Virginia; admitted to the Bar in 1836, elected to the Legislature in Frederick County in 1838. In 1839 he settled in Hagerstown; was a member of the Constitutional convention in 1850, and of the State Senate in 1854 and 1856. In 1862 he was nominated for Congress bv the Dem¬ ocrats, but declined the nomination, in 1839, he married Miss Sophia Hall, daughter of Thomas Buchanan Hall, and granddaughter of Mrs. Mary Pottinger, sister of Judge* lluehanan. Oi’ WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 413 In consequence of the election of the Hon. William Pinkney Whyte to the office of Governor, Mr. Clark resigned the presidency of the canal, and Mr. A. P. Gorman was appointed, and held the office through many years. In all these years he and Mr. Hamilton headed opposing factions in the Democratic party of Maryland and at times the strife between their respective partisans was extremely bitter. At the session of 1874, when Mr. Hamilton’s successor in the Senate was to be elected, Mr. Gorman favored Governor Whyte, and he was elected—Mr. Hamilton’s term in the Sen¬ ate ended March 4, 1875. Immediately there¬ after, he turned his attention to State politics and determined to make a contest for the Gover¬ norship. The absence of any serious opposition to the Democratic party in the city of Baltimore and in the Legislature had produced the inevitable result of unrestrained power, and abuses had grown up which needed reforming. Mr. Hamilton stood for reform, and especially for a better administra¬ tion of State finances. When the primaries came on it was supposd that Mr. Hamilton had won But at the State convention the Hon. John Lee Carroll, of Howard County, got the nomination by a narrow margin. That convention of 1875 was one of the most notable in the history of Mary¬ land politics. It lasted all day and nearly all night; the supporters of Hamilton when they found that one or two of the delegates, upon whom they had counted, had left them, refused" to permit a vote to be taken. Some of the ablest and most eloquent men in the State were on the floor, contending for the nomination of Mr. Ham¬ ilton. Among them were Josiah H. Gordon, of Cumberland, John Ritchie of Frederick, George Freaner and Henry II. Keedy, of Hagerstown. But Mr. Carroll had a majority of the votes, and oratory did not avail to change the result. Wash¬ ington County that fall, from being a Democratic or a very close County, gave the Republican candi¬ date for Governor over a thousand majority, and elected every Republican candidate on the local ticket. The Republicans carried most of the counties and their strength in the legislature be¬ came formidable. .All this time the Hagerstown Mail, edited by Edwin Bell and T. J. C. Williams, was sup¬ porting the reforms in the State Government advocated by Mr. Hamilton, and its articles were copied, generally by the press of the State. Mr. Hamilton was also in every way contending for better methods, until, finally the Democratic party in the State demanded his nomination, and when the convention met in 1879, all opposition to hnn disappeared and he was nominated by the unan¬ imous vote of the convention. The Republicans nominated against him one of the strongest men in their party, Mr. James A. Gary, afterwards Postmaster General of the United States. But Mr. Hamilton was elected in November by a ma¬ jority of 22,208. This election gratified the am¬ bition to be Governor of his native State which he had long cherished, and it was his sincere de¬ sire to use the high office for the benefit of the whole people. But he discovered soon after his inauguration that his hands were in a measure tied, and that he Would not be able to accomplish all that he desired. For this condition there were several reasons. Mr. Hamilton’s position at the time of the State con¬ vention was commanding, and he could have de¬ manded the nomination of a candidate for Comp¬ troller of the Treasury who would co-operate with him as a member of the Board of Public Works. Instead of doing this, he assented to the nomina¬ tion of Mr. Thomas J. Keating of Queen Annes’ County, a gentleman who was not in accord with him; and the Legislature elected Mr. Barnes Compton Treasurer. The Treasurer and Comp¬ troller voted together, and thwarted the Governor's expectation to name as president of the canal one of his political friends. Mr. Robert Bridges, of Hancock, was the man he had expected to name. Instead of that, Mr. Keating and Mr. Compton voted together to retain Mr. Gorman. Early in the session of 1880, the first session of Governor Hamilton’s administration, the Gov¬ ernor and Senate were at variance. The Gover¬ nor was brusque in his manner, and lacked tact in dealing with men. He had no toleration for those who did not measure up to his standard of civic virtue and he made no secret of his opinions. When the time came to make the civil appoint¬ ments, the Senate rejected them as fast as he made them. In consequence of this, many of his appointees did not reflect credit on the adminis¬ tration. Before all this happened. Mr. Gorman had been elected to the United States Senate. In this election Mr. Hamilton took no hand. As between Mr. Whyte and Mr. Gorman he had no choice. But against all the obstacles presented to him, 414 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD Governor Hamilton strove bravely to reform abuses and to establish the debt paying policy en¬ joined in the Constitution. While he did not meet with immediate success, there can be no doubt that the State has never ceased to profit by the Ham¬ ilton administration. The sinking funds were finally cared for, and before many years, in con¬ sequence of this, as well as of the increased public revenues, the public debt almost disappeared. The messages sent by Governor Hamilton to the legis¬ lature were filled with wise recommendations. Of one of these documents, that sent to the session of 1882, John K. Co wen, a competent judge, de¬ clared that it was the ablest message ever sent to the Legislature of any State in the Union, by any Governor. After the conclusion of his term as Governor, Mr. Hamilton returned to his ordinary avocations in Hagerstown. Now and then he tried a case in court. As a jury lawyyer, Maryland has sel¬ dom produced his superior. He understood the men in the jury-box and knew just what argu¬ ments would appeal to them. The same qualities made him a most effective political speaker. Ills addresses from the stump were full of homely truths, expressed in homely language, which went straight home to the understanding and compre¬ hension of his audience. In his speeches he sel¬ dom told anecdotes, but all through them there was intense earnestness, which commanded atten¬ tion relieved now and then by an apparently un¬ conscious humor which produced uncontrolled laughter among the audience, while the gravity of the speaker’s face was unchanged. Mr. Hamilton acquired large tracts of the most fertile land in Washington County, lie bought the Stafford estate of about 600 acres, near Clearspring, and several fine farms adjacent to Hagerstown. In the cultivation and improvement of these he took delight, and made them model farms. After returning from Annapolis, he built the Hotel Hamilton, replacing old and unsightly buildings which disfigured the most conspicuous lot in Hagerstown, by this elegant Hotel which has never ceased to contribute to the prosperity of the town. This was only one of the public affairs that engaged the attention of this remarkable man. He was appealed to for aid and advice as no other citizen was. He was President or director iD a dozen corporations, all of which had been organ¬ ized to a certain extent to promote the public in¬ terests. He succeeded J. Dixon Roman as Pres¬ ident of the Hagerstown Bank, and to a large ex¬ tent directed its policies up to the time of his death. He took the lead in securing a new char¬ ter for Hagerstown in 1884, under which, and by reason of which, Hagerstown has been one of the best governed towns in the country down to the present time. He was president of the first board of Street Commissioners, the active governing body, under this charter, and gave his personal services in supervising the great street improve¬ ments of that time. He initiated and urged the establishment of the Washington County Water Company, of which he was president and which supplied Hagerstown with pure water. He also aided in substituting electric lights for the dim oil lamps which had done service in the streets for nearly half a century. While the recognized leader of the Democratic party, Mr. Hamilton did not always find it an easy task to control the County conventions. As he advanced in years, young men who did not know him grew up, and did not come under his influence. Many active political workers wearied of being in opposition to the party State leaders, who dispensed honors and offices. And so, now and then, a County convention was in the hands of his political opponents of the canal partj r . At the election of 1875, when the County gave so heavy a majority for the' Republican ticket, one Democrat, Lewis Cass Smith, was elected to the House of Delegates. Mr. Smith was made speak¬ er and became so prominent in State affairs that he was subsequently appointed President of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, upon the resigna¬ tion of Mr. Gorman. Mr. Smith, while personally friendly with Mr. Hamilton was not in political accord with him. Another of the leaders of the section of the party antagonistic to Mr. Hamilton’s control, was Mr. Peter A. Witmer, a man of good ability, of pleasing manners, and of great popu¬ larity. For many years, from 1868 to 1892, he was superintendent of the public schools of the County; for a considerable time, a member of the State Board of Education: and for a quarter of a century secretary of the Hagerstown Fair. In 1881 he went into the newspaper business as joint proprietor of the Hagerstown Daily News, with John U. Adams. The political strife between Mr. Witmer and Mr. Hamilton became very sharp. Mr. Hamilton died October 26, 1888. 'William Thomas Hamilton was bom in Hagerstown Sep¬ tember 8, 1820. He was a son of Henry Hamil- OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MAEYLAND. 415 ton of Boonsboro, in which town, under the tuition of Mr. James Brown, former Surveyor of this County, the foundation of his education was laid. His mother died when he was six years of age, and his father—Henry Hamilton—some two years thereafter. He was adopted by his maternal uncles. His education was continued at the Ha¬ gerstown Academy apd completed at Jefferson Col¬ lege, Cannonsburg, Pa. Upon his return to- Ha¬ gerstown, he studied law under John Thompson Mason, and was admitted to the Bar of Washing¬ ton County, in 1845. In 1846, he was nominated upon the Democratic ticket and elected to the House of Delegates—the ticket, in a close and hard-fought contest, having been divided, with Wm. Beverly Clarke, a Whig, elected to the Sen¬ ate. The prominent measure of that session of the Legislature, was the payment of the interest upon the debt of the State, recommended by Gov. Pratt, which received the support of Mr. Hamil¬ ton. In 1847, he was again nominated upon the Democratic ticket, for the same position, and was defeated by Robert Fowler. In 1848, he was placed upon the Cass electoral ticket. In 1849 he received from the Democratic party his first nomination for Congress, and was elected in a close and very animated contest over Gen. Thos. J. McKaig. The absorbing issue of the day, in the district, was the Tariff. Mr. Hamilton advo¬ cated the Democratic principle of duties for reve¬ nue, in joint discussion with his able competitor throughout the district, and in the mining and manufacturing districts of Allegany County, pro¬ claimed and maintained the Democratic creed, and was elected by a close vote. During his first term in Congress, Mr. Ham¬ ilton gave a steady support to the compromise measure of 1850, introduced by Mr. Clay. In 1851, he was re-elected to Congress over J. Philip Roman. In 1853, Mr. Hamilton was, for the third time, unanimously nominated by the Democ¬ racy and again elected over the Hon. Francis Thomas, who ran as an independent candidate against him. This was one amongst the most ani¬ mated and exciting contests ever had in the dis¬ trict, involving joint discussion between the can¬ didates in every county, and resulting in a major¬ ity of upwards of one thousand for Mr. Hamilton, over his eloquent and veteran competitor. In Congress he gave a consistent support to the ad¬ ministration of President Pierce, and, during the last term of his service, was Chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia, and as such Chairman he took a leading part in the work by which the city of Washington is now supplied with water from the Great Falls of the Potomac. In 1855, Mr. Hamilton was once more induc¬ ed to bear the standard of Democracy, and bat¬ tling for the principles of his party, was defeated by the Know Nothings. During his Congressional career, Mr. Hamil¬ ton had associated with him in the practice of the law, the Hon. R. H. Alvey. After his retirement from Congress he applied himself to his profession, in the prosecution of which he was signally suc¬ cessful and very soon became one of the leading members of the Bar of Western Maryland. In January, 1868, he was elected a Senator of the United States to succeed Wm. Pinkney Whyte, who had been appointed to fill the uncx- pired term of Reverdy Johnson. In the Senate he quickly displayed the force of character which ever won for him the respect of even those who might be most earnestly opposed to him. One of a very small minority, he stood with his few party associates firmly against the unnecessary perpet¬ uation of war animosities. He earnestly spoke and constantly voted for reduction of taxation, and urged the return to the simple and economic meth¬ ods that prevailed before war had made waste and prodigality familiar to government and people. He spoke and voted against the increase of sal¬ aries of public officers, and after the passage of the “Salary Grab” law he refused to draw from the Treasury the amount appropriated to him by the law which he opposed. His speeches on the State of Louisiana, on the Navy and on the Tariff embody in eloquent and forcible language his views on the subjects above referred to. In 1879 he was elected Governor of Maryland, having been unanimously nominated in response to a universal demand of the people. He institut¬ ed many reforms in the State government and sug¬ gested others since adopted which have promoted the welfare of the State and its people, whom he tried his best to faithfully serve. His retirement from the Gubernatorial chair in January, 1884, was the end of his long and use¬ ful public life, although he continued to take a deep interest in State and National affairs, and still contributed with earnestness his influence towards securing, in the State and in the General Government the adoption of those principles and 416 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD methods which he believed would best promote good government and the people’s welfare. With the same vigor that he devoted to his official duties as a public man, he threw himself into every en¬ terprise that could improve the condition of his native town and County. * He was President of the Hagerstown Bank, the Washington County Water Company, the Board of Street Commissioners of Hagerstown, the Rose Hill Cemetery Company, the Hagerstown Board of Trade, and the Maryland Farmers’ Asso¬ ciation. He %m a Director in the Hagerstown Steam Engine and Machine Company, and the Mutual Insurance Company of Washington County. Mr. Hamilton was married in 1859 to Miss Clara Jenness, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire* He left six children. The oldest son, Richard J. Hamilton, became editor of the Hagerstown Mail in 1892 and continued in that position to the present time. Governor Hamilton was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Hagerstown. Governor Hamilton’s successor in the leader¬ ship of the Democratic party in Washington County was Buchanan Schley. This gifted man began his political career in 1879, when still young. That year he was nominated for State’s Attorney for Washington County, but was defeat¬ ed by John F. A. Remley, the Republican candi¬ date. Soon afterwards, he disputed with Gover¬ nor Hamilton the leadership of the County con¬ ventions, and more than once was victorious over the friends and supporters of the veteran leader. After Governor Hamilton’s death and down Lo the present time, Mr. Schley’s leadership has been almost undisputed. Only three times has Mr. Sell ley been an office-holder, and not often an office-seeker. Fie was appointed by President Cleveland Surveyor of the Port of Baltimore. In 1901 he was superintendent of the State census, and in 1902 he was elected Tax Commissioner of the State of Maryland. Mr. Schley is the young¬ est son of Frederick A. Schley and his second wife Miss Hall, a granddaughter of Mrs. Mary Pottin- ger, sister of Judges John and Thomas Buchanan. The sister of Buchanan Schley’s mother was the wife of Col. George Schley, half brother of Buch¬ anan Schley. While the Democratic party, following the early triumphs after the war, was being dis¬ solved into factions and weakened by division, the Republican party was becoming consrjlidated and aggressive under the leadership of Louis E. Mc- Gomas. The Democrats were demoralized by the nomination of Mr. Greeley in 1872, and John Ritchie, of Frederick, who had been elected to the House of Representatives in 1870, was defeated by Lloyd Lowndes in the Greeley year. In 1874, William W r alsh, Democrat, was' elected over Lowndes and in 1876, Mr. McComas was the Re¬ publican candidate. Mr. Walsh defeated him by about a dozen votes. The nomination of Mr. Mc¬ Comas for Congress, in 1876, was the beginning of a political career of extraordinary success. At the time of this nomination Mr. McComas was just thirty years of age. He was born m Washington County October 28, 1846, the son of Frederick C. and Catherine (Angle) McComas. He was a student at the College of St. James when it was discontinued during the war; graduated at Dickinson College in 1866; studied law and was admitted to the Bar in Hagerstown in 1868. Be¬ fore settling down to practice he made a tour of the Western States, and then returning to Ha¬ gerstown entered into partnership with Judge Dan- St Weisel. After his nomination for Congress, and his defeat, he devoted himself to the practice of law for the next six years. Milton G. Urner, of Frederick, succeeded Mr. Walsh in Congress and served two terms. In 1882 Mr. McComas was again nominated and elected, and was re¬ elected continuously until 1890, serving in the 4Sth, 49th, 50th and 51st Congresses. In 1890, he was again the candidate but was defeated by William M. Mclvaig, Democrat. Mr. McComas, after the conclusion of his term, was secretary of the National Republican Committee when President Harrison was defeat¬ ed for re-election. On November 17, 1892 he was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia by President Harrison which office he held until he was elected to the United States Senate by the Legislature of 1898. He took his seat in the Senate March 4, 1899 and shortly after the conclusion of his term, in 1905, he was appointed by President Roosevelt Associ¬ ate Justice of the Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, a position which he can hold for the remainder of his life if he is dis¬ posed to do so. In the House of Representatives, Mr. Mc¬ Comas became a quick and ready debater. His ]>osition as almost the only Republican Congress¬ man from South of Mason and Dixon’s line seem- OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 417 ed to single him out. He enjoyed the personal friendship of many leading men of both parties, and wielded a strong influnce. In his party m the Sixth Congressional district of Maryland, his power was almost supreme for many years. Mr. McComas married Miss Leah Humrichouse, daugh¬ ter of Charles W. Humrichouse, of Williamsport district, one of the most highly respected citizens of Washington County. At the election in 1873, two young men were nominated and elected by the Democrats who were destined to have a rerfiarkable career. They were George B. Oswald, elected Clerk of the Court, and Thomas E. Hilliard, Register of Wills. Mr. Hilliard had been deputy Register under Mat¬ thew S. Barber, who had been elected Register in 1867, and under his predecessor William Logan, since 1863. He established his fitness for the place, and the young men of the party determined that he should have the nomination at the end of Mr. Barber’s term. He was nominated and elected over George W. Walker, Republican. George B. Oswald had been a clerk in, the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, but had resigned while William McK. Keppler was clerk, to become book keeper in the Hagerstown Bank. The same younger element of the party which insisted that Hilliard should be Register, insisted that Oswald should be Clerk of the Court; they had their way and he also was elected. In the length of their terms of office, these two men stand almost alone among the elected officials of the State. During their first term of six years, both Oswald and Hilliard established themselves so firmly in the confidence and affection of the people of the County, by their efficiency and courtesy, that both of them were re-elected five times, for terms aggre¬ gating thirty-six years each and if they are living and in the enjoyment of health at the close of their present terms in 1909, it will not occur to anj-one that they^ should not be elected for another term. Their popularity had grown or been sustained to such a marked degree, that in 1903 the Republi¬ cans made no nominations against them. George B. Oswald was born at the foot of South Mountain, near Smithsburg, Washington County, December 24, 1842. He was educated in the public schools under the celebrated teacher of that section, Prof. George Pearson. After being a deputy in the office of the Clerk of the Court for some years, he took the place of bookkeeper in the Hagerstown Bank, and held that place when elected Clerk in 1873. He was re-elected for six year terms in 1879, 1885, 1891, 1897 and 1903. The office of Clerk of the Court for Washington County is remarkable for the long terms of the incumbents. The County was erected in 1776, and the office of Clerk of the Court established then. In the 130 years of its existence, there have been only six Clerks, George B. Oswald being the sixth. The first Clerk was Eli Williams, brother of Gen. Otho Holland Williams who held the office from 1776 to 1800, when he became Judge of the Orphans’ Court and his son Otho Holland Wil¬ liams succeeded him and was the clerk from 1800 to 1845. Isaac Nesbitt Succeeded him in 1845 and continued in office until his death in 1865, when L. B. Nyman was appointed to complete the term for which Mr. Nesbitt had been elected and he served from 1:805 to 1867 when the new Con¬ stitution cut the term short. William .McK. Kep¬ pler was elected in 1N<>7 and served one term of six years. Mr. Oswald succeeded him in 1873 and is still in office. Thomas Elliott Hilliard the Register of Wills who has served so long a time in that office was horn in Hagerstown, September 23rd, 1843. He is a son of Christopher Hilliard and Maria Mittag Hilliard and received his education in the public schools. March 4, 186;! he became a clerk in the office of the Register of Wills for Washington County under William Logan, Register, and served with Mr. Logan until his tenure of office was term¬ inated by the Constitution of 1867. In Novem¬ ber, 1867, Matthew S. Barber was elected Register and Mr. Hilliard assumed the administration of the office of Deputy, continuing throughout Mr. Barber's incumbency, and in Nov. 1873, whilst serving as Deputy Register for Mr. Barber, he received the nomination on the Democratic ticket for Register, and was elected over George W. Walker. Republican. He was re-elected in 1879 over John L. Bikle; in 1885 oyer Amos D. Ben¬ nett; in 1891 over Samuel D. Martin; in 1897 over John E. Wagaman. He yra# also re-elected in 1903 the Republican party making no nomina¬ tion against him. He is now in his sixth consec¬ utive term as ifegisu r. and in the forty-third year of continuous service in the office of the Register of Wills. CHAPTER XXVIII HE term of fifteen years for which Judges Richard H. Alvey and William Motter had been elected in 1867, ended in 1882 and at the November election of that year. Judge Alvey came up for re-election. He was opposed by William J. Eead, of Allegany County, the Republican nominee hut Judge Alvey was elected. Judge William Motter was not nomi¬ nated and his career on the bench ended then, and he died a few years later. He -was a native of Frederick County, bom in 1817, graduated at Princeton and came to Washington County in 1845. In 1859 he was elected State’s Attorney and in 1867 to the Legislature. He married a daughter of William D. Bell. Judge Motter was a man of the strictest integrity, painstaking and conscien¬ tious. His decisions were seldom reversed by the Court of Appeals. His successor as Associate Judge was Andrew K. Syester. Richard Henry Alvey whose second term as Chief Judge of his circuit began in 1882, occupies a place in the front rank of the great Maryland jurists along with Roger Brooke Taney, William Pinkney, John Buchanan and Reverdy Johnson. In an address before the Maryland Bar Associ- . ation in 1904, on the Chief Justices of Maryland, Chief Justice James McSherry said of Chief Jus¬ tice Alvey: “The opinions of Judge Alvey as As¬ sociate Judge are reported in volumes 28 to and including 60 Maryland Reports; and as Chief Judge from 60 Maryland, to and including 77 Maryland. His opinions are strong, vigorous and broad. He never failed to grasp the underlying principle of ar case and never erred in its appli¬ cation. His work speaks for itself. His knowl¬ edge of the law is profound and his capacity for applying it remarkable. His industry was mar¬ velous. In a word his opinions as reported are not excelled in the judicial annals of the State or by the judgments of any other Judge where the English tongue is spoken.” Before the Civil War Judge Alvey had taken a leading part in public affairs and was a leader of thought in the County. Erom the close of the war down to his retirement from the bench on the last day of December 1904, a period of nearly forty years, he gave himself to the public service. Richard H. Alvey was the eldest son of George and Harriet Wicklin Alvey. He was born in St. Mary’s County, Md., March 6, 1826, attended the County schools, taught by his father and at the age of 18 years became dep¬ uty in the office of the Clerk of the Court in Charles County, studying law while he held this office. In 1849 he was admitted to the Bar and early in 1850 he settled in Hagerstown which has ever since been his home. He began the prac¬ tice of his profession in Hagerstown in partner¬ ship with John Thompson Mason and later was in partnership with William T. Hamilton. In 1851 he was nominated by the Democratic party for the State Senate, George French being his opponent on the Whig ticket. The campaign was animated and the election was a tie. Another election was held and Mr. French was elected by a majority of forty votes. In 1852 Mr. Alvey was candidate for Presidential elector and canvassed the State for Franklin Pierce. After the Presidential election of 1860, he was pronounced in his opposition to the coercion of the South or the denial of their right to secede. At a mass meeting in Hagerstown he 420 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD reported, a series of resolutions which gave his views on the Constitutional right of the States to withdraw from the Union and those resolutions marked him as a man dangerous to the Union cause. He had a large acquaintance with army oUsktss and H ary tender# who shared his views. 3d any Southern sympathizers going from the North to join the Southern Army at Harper's Ferry or elstnrhsSS? passed through Hagerstown and stopped to call upon Mr. Alvey. The first Union troops that arrived in Hagerstown- placed him under ar¬ rest. A spy visited his office with a letter pur¬ porting to come from a Southern official and so worded as to show that there Was communication, between Mr. Alvey and Southern Army officials. Mr. Alvey, although not suspecting that his visi¬ tor was a spy, dismissed him without the informa¬ tion asked for and immediately a squad of soldiers entered and carried him off to headquarters. Sew* eral days later he was taken to Fort McHenry, then to Fort Lafayette, New York, then to Fort Warren, Boston, woe re he was imprisoned with S. Teackle Wallis, T. Parkin Seott, George Wil¬ iam Broun and other State prisoners. After the war Mr. Alvey came to the front as a leader in the restoration of normal political conditions and the rehabilitation ®f the Democratic party. Under the existing law the juries were se¬ lected by partisan sheriffs and in cases where politics were in any way involved this sometimes amounted to a denial of justice. While Judge French was on the bench, he once or twice dis¬ charged an entire panel as being too intensely par¬ tisan. As a remedy for this condition the Legis¬ lature of IBfiii enacted a jury law prepared by Mr. Alvey which has endured to the present time. In 1861 he Was a delegate to the Constitutional coijysntion and took a leading part in the deliber¬ ations, He was chairman of the committee on representation. In November 18(17 he was elected Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit for a term of fifteen years. This made him an Associ¬ ate Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, lie was re-elected, as we have seen, in 18K,2 ami the next year on Dcennber 1J, 1883 upon the resignation of Chief Justice Bartol, he was desig¬ nated by Governor William T. Hamilton as Chief Justice of Maryland. In 1 >ssh when Chief Justice Waite died, Judge Alvey was strongly recommended to Presi¬ dent" Cleveland for his m < < -or. It is understood that the President ursft matte inclined to make tire appointment hut finally came to the conclusion that it would be wiser to appoint a younger''Skin and one who lived farther north. But when Con¬ gress created the Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia the President sent for Judge Alley and requested him to accept the place of ('hiof Justice of the new court and to organize it. This Judge .Alvey consented to do and was ap¬ pointed in April 1893 and as Judge of that Court he added to his great reputation and form¬ ed an enduring friendship with Mr. Cleveland. On December 17, 1895, President Cleveland ap¬ pointed Judge Alvey a member of the commis¬ sion to settle the boundary line between Vene¬ zuela and British Guiana. On December 31, 1901 Chief Justice Alvey having served thirty-seven years on the bench and having arrived at the age of seventy-eight years, retired from active service to private life. The Bar of the District of Colum¬ bia appreciating his great qualities and that his mental vigor was unimpaired, saw him retire with great regret and with formal expressions of re¬ spect and good will. As a token of this they pre¬ sented to him on the day before he retired a mag¬ nificent silver sen ice. Judge Alvey has been twice married. In 1856 he married Miss Mary Wharton, daughter of Dr. John 0. WTiarton and a grand daughter of John Thompson Mason. She died in 1860 and in I*62 he married Miss Julia I. Hays, daughter of Dr. Joseph C. Hays and a descendent of Joseph Chaplmc. the founder of Sharpsburg and an of¬ ficer in the French and Indian war as well as in the Revolutionary war. When Judge Alvey resigned from the Alary- land Judiciary in 1S93 to go on the Federal bench. Governor Brown appointed Air. A. Hunter Boyd m his slieecssor in May of that year. At the succeeding election in November 1893 Judge Boyd was elected Chief Judge over Air. Benj. A. Richmond. In 1883 Judge George A. I Yarn ■ died and Governor Hamilton appointed Air. Josiah 11. Gor¬ don of Cumberland to fill the vacancy until the election that fall. At the election Judge Gordon was defeated by Air. Henry W. Hoffman of Cum¬ berland, who was succeeded by David W. Sloan, who died in 1902. Judge Ferdinand AWlIiams was then appointed to tin- bench by Governor John Walter Smith and served from August 1902 until November 1993, when Robert R. Henderson of Allegany County was elected for the full term OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 421 of fifteen years. Judge Syester died early in 1891 and in April of that year Governor Jackson appointed as his successor, Gen. Henry Kyd Douglas. H. Kyd Douglas was for more than a generation one of the most striking personages in Washington County. He was a man of imposing presence, tall, slender, straight and with the mil¬ itary carriage acquired in four years service in the Civil War. His features were aquiline, his eye piercing. He was courteous and kindly in his manner and a fine public speaker. He was in active practice at the bar for thirty years and was fond of politics. But his greatest interest lay in the military affairs. Upon his experience and ob¬ servations in the Civil War he delivered lectures from time to time in various places. In Boston where he spoke upon “the Confederate Volunteer” he received something of an ovation, notwithstand¬ ing the fact that he made no apologies and spoke from the Southern point of view. He acquired also a considerable reputation as a writer of ar¬ ticles in the leading magazines upon the Civil War. In political life he did not succeed. He was a candidate several times but was never elect¬ ed. He ran for the State Senate, for Congress and for the Judgeship and each time, after re¬ ceiving a flattering vote he lost. The offices he held, Judge for a part of a year and Adjutant General of Maryland he got by appointment. On the bench he was dignified, industrious and fair minded. As Adjutant General he was most effi¬ cient. In his loyalty to the South there was no bitterness. When Gen. McClellan visited Ha¬ gerstown after the war to go to Antietam field, he was Col. Douglas’ guest and he pronounced a eulogy over the grave of his friend, Gen. Hart- ranft, of Pennsylvania. Time and again he was called upon to make addresses before the Grand Army of the Republic and he never uttered a word of apology for having worn a gray uniform. Henry Kyd Douglas was born in Shepherds- town, Virginia, now West Virginia, Sept. 29, 1840. His parents were the Rev. Robert Douglas and Mary, daughter of Col. John Robertson. He graduated at Franklin-Marshall College in 1859, graduated in law at Lexington in 1860 and was admitted to the bar of Jefferson County. At the very beginning of the war he enlisted as a private at Harper’s Ferry in the Shepherdstown Com¬ pany, in the Stonewall Brigade. He was rapidly promoted becoming shortly an aide-de-camp on Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s staff. After Jackson’s death he was Adjutant General to Gens. Edward Johnson, John B. Gordon, Jubal A. Early and others. He was promoted to Colonel and assign¬ ed to command a light brigade. He was com¬ mander of this brigade when it was in the assault on the salient hill of the Federal lines at Peters¬ burg. He was at Appomattox and continued to fight for half an hour after the surrender, not having heard of it. At Gettysburg he was se¬ verely wounded, and for a brief season was confin¬ ed in old Capitol prison. After the war Gen. Douglas practiced law two years at Winchester and in 1868 he came to Hagerstown where he remained until his death in 1903. In the great railroad strikes of 1877 Mr. Douglas was placed by Governor Carroll in com¬ mand of affairs in Western Maryland, with head¬ quarters at Cumberland where he superintended the movement of troops who opened the Balti¬ more & Ohio railroad. In 1892 Col. Douglas was appointed Adjutant General of Maryland and as such was at the head of the Maryland Militia during the coal mine strikes in Allegany County of that period. At the election in 1888 Mr. Douglas was the Democratic candidate for Congress, but was de¬ feated by Louis E. McComas after a brilliant cam¬ paign upon the tariff question, one feature of which was a joint debate between the two candi¬ dates. In the Judiciary election of 1891 Doug¬ las was defeated by Edward Stake, republican. Judge Stake was a native of Williamsport, son of Edward Greene Williams Stake. He served for a time in the Federal Army, got a good edu¬ cation and entered the bar. He was a man of fine ability, of excellent common sense but some¬ what disposed to procrastinate. He was a mem¬ ber of the State Senate in 1888 and 1890 and made a fine record. Before that he was State’s Attorney for Washington County. He was a most companionable man, a good talker and pos¬ sessed all the qualities that make men popular. He took a deep interest in agriculture and for ' some years was President of the State Farmers’ Convention. In the latter j r ears of his life his health was bad and he died in 1902 while still a man in middle life. On February 9, 1903, Governor John Walter Smith appointed William J. Witzenbacher to the bench to succeed Judge Stake and at the election that fall Martin L. Keedy was elected Associate Judge. 422 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD In liis brief service on the bench Judge Wit* zenbacher did himself great credit. He is a man of fine ability of profound learning and an inde¬ fatigable student. His successor, Judge Needy, soon proved himself an excellent judge, honest, just and painstaking. The Bar of Washington County thirty years ago was one of the most brilliant in the State. In most of the principal trials, William T. Ham¬ ilton and his partner George W. Smith, were apt to be on one side and Syester & Freaner on the other and the forensic duel between these was cer¬ tain to fill the Court Hall with an audience. Henry II. Needy had a large practice and was engaged in many cases. He was in no sense what is usually termed a brilliant man. But he was a man of solid parts, indomitable industry and per- severence and that saving common sense which is often worth more than brilliancy. In 1874 he took his brother-in-law, J. Clarence Lane, many years his junior, into partnership with him and when Mr. Needy died Mr. Lane succeeded to his business. Henry H. Needy died January 22, 1893 at the age of 51 years, after a long illness. He was a good citizen as well as a good lawyer and took a leading part in the business enter¬ prises of Hagerstown. Mr. Needy was a native of Pleasant Valley and married Miss Julia Lane, of Boonsboro. J. Clarence Lane was born in Frederick County and educated at Princeton. He entered the Bar at Hagerstown in July 1874 and at once took a fine position. In 1884 he was elected to the State Senate and gained a reputation there by the ability with which he opposed and defeat¬ ed a bill calling a Constitutional Convention. Another firm in active practice during the seventies was that of Judge Weisel and Louis E. McComas. Frederick F. McCbmas, a younger brother of Judge McComas, was admitted to the bar in 1874. He was an excellent lawyer and a man of first rate ability. He died March 27, 1897, aged 46 years. Gen. Henry Nyd Douglas was one of the brilliant members of the bar and an excellent trial lawyer. Francis M. Darby was a native of Frederick County, born March 11, 1838. He entered the bar at Hagerstown in 1858. For thirty-five years he held a good position and enjoyed a large prac¬ tice. His first wife was Louisa, daughter of Ben¬ jamin Price. In 1863 he was State’s Attorney for Washington County. In 1869 he was candi¬ date for the House of Delegates; in 1871 for the State Senate against Z. S. Clagett and in 1879 for Attorney-General on the republican ticket, but each time was defeated. He was a director in and attorney for the Hagerstown Bank for many years. In 1881 Mr. Darby was sub-Treas- urer of the United States at Baltimore. About 1888 he removed to Baltimore to take the position of Treasurer of the Baltimore Safe Deposit and Trust Company of which B. F. Newcomer was president. That position he held .until his death, November 10, 1903. Col. George Schley was, for many years, the Nestor of the Bar. His practice was not extensive. He was a man of polished manners and of liter¬ ary attainments, and literature figured in his management of cases. He was fond of a latin quotation and frequently brought in a text from the Bible with telling effect. Judge George French, after the war, seldom appeared in Court. On the bench in the war time for a short period, he established a high character for justice and fair dealing. Many of the cases directly or indirectly involved bitter partisan feeling. Judge French was a strong Union man but he never let his political views bias his sense of right. Before the Constitution of 1867 the jury was selected by the sheriff and in a time of bitterness there was sure to be a par¬ tisan jury. More than once an appeal was made to Judge French by William T. Hamilton or other lawyers of Southern sympathy and the entire pan¬ el was discharged. Among the older lawyers of this period were Zachariah S. Clagett and David H. Wiles. Mr. Clagett was a son of Capt. Samuel Clagett of Pleasant Valley. He moved to Hagerstown at an early age and spent his life at the practice of the law in the town. He represented Washing¬ ton County in the State Senate in 1872 and 1874. For some years he was auditor of the Court. Mr. Wiles had a large chancery practice and accumu¬ lated a considerable fortune. Alexander Neill, has for many years, been one of the most substantial members of the Bar, enjoying a large practice. His great grandfather, Alexander Neill, was born in Ireland and came to Hagerstown from Baltimore early in the last century. Mr. Neill's grandfather, was for many years, president of the Hagerstown Bank, a posi¬ tion which the grandson now occupies. Alex- St John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hagerstown. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 425 antler, the father of the present Mr. Neill, was bom in Hagerstown in 1808. He married Mary Sim Nelson, daughter of John Nelson, Attorney General of the U. S. in 1813. Mr. Neill was a member of the House of Delegates in 1870. After that time he was a candidate, once for State's Attorney but he was defeated by Edward Stake. He was born in Hagerstown August 5, 1844, ed¬ ucated at the College of St. Janies, graduating in 1863, and entered the Bar in 1865. He married Miss Ellen Loughridge, daughter of ffm. Lough- ridge, the inventor of the air brake. He is a member of several corporations and has always been prominent in the industrial work of Wash¬ ington County. William Kealhofer is a son of George Iveal- hofer and a native of Hagerstown. He was edu¬ cated at the College of St. James and entered the Bar in 1865. He has been prominent at the Bar, in business and social affairs. He was City Attor¬ ney for Hagerstown at the time and took a lead¬ ing part in formulating the new charter of the town. His wife is the daughter of Dr. Josiah F. Smith Among the many deaths announced in 1874 was that of Mr. Robert Fowler at the time of his death, a resident of Baltimore, but who had spent many years in Washington County. He died at Barnum’s Hotel, March 3, 1874, in the 62nd year of his-age. Mr. Fowler was bom in Montgomery County, but very early in life removed to Washington County, where he rose to prominence and influence in jwntks and other local affairs of our people. He was several times elected County Commission¬ er from the Boonsboro’ District, and after his removal to Hagerstown was chosen to the Legis¬ lature in the year 1847. In connection with Mr. Frederick Zeigler he built the Leitersburg Turn¬ pike, and in association with the same gentleman he was for many years extensively engaged in the commission and produce business in Baltimore. He was elected and re-elected to the office of State Treasurer some four or five times, and at the time of his death was the President of the Washington County Railroad, and a member of the House of Delegates from Baltimore county. Mr. Fowler was a man of a most kindly and charitable disposition and was greatly beloved m W'ashington County. His oldest son, John Fow¬ ler, succeeded him in the directorate of the Wash¬ ington County Railroad Company. Another son was Judge David Fowler for sixteen years a mem¬ ber of the Court of Appeals of Maryland from which he resigned in 1905. George W. Smith, Jr., is a native of Hagers¬ town, the son of George W. Smith,, for many years the Democratic leader of Washington Coun¬ ty, before William T. Hamilton acceded to that place. George W. Smith, Jr., was in partnership with Mr. Hamilton for many j^ears, the connection being terminated by the death of Mr. Hamilton. He entered the Bar in 1856 and has now been in active practice more than half a century. He has been School Commissioner and is director in sev¬ eral of the more important corporations includ¬ ing the Hagerstown Bank. Alexander Armstrong was a practitioner from 1870 down to the time of his death in 1905. He graduated at Princeton in 1868 and entered the Bar two years later and almost at once got a prac¬ tice. In 1886 he was a member of the House of Delegates where he was an active and useful mem¬ ber. He was appointed School Commissioner by Governor Lowndes. He was an elder in the Pres¬ byterian Church. In 1876 he married a daughter of Dr. N. B. Scott. One of the very earliest members of this Bar was John Thompson Mason, and he was perhaps one of the most brilliant of all. Of him we have already had occasion to speak. He was a son of Thomas Mason of Virginia and a nephew of George Mason, the author of the Declaration of Rights, and one of the most distinguished men that America ever produced. The name of Mr. Mason’s oldest son, who lived, in order to inherit a property from Mr. Mason’s uncle, was changed to Barnes by the Legislature. He was Abraham Barnes the father of John Thompson Mason Barnes of Baltimore, auditor of the Western Maryland Railroad Company. Another son of Mr. Mason was Judge John Thompson Mason. Judge John Thompson Mason died at Elkton, McL, where he was arguing a case in Court at the time in April 1873. He was born at Montpelier, near Clearspring, the old Mason homestead. Judge Mason was in the 58th year of his age when he died. He took an active part in poli¬ tics at a very early age. He was elected to two successive Legislatures and to Congress within the short period of three years, from 1838 to 1841. In 1844, when the Whigs swept the State upon the Tariff issue, carrying every Congressional District in it, Mr. Mason went down with the 426 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD rest of the Democrats and was succeeded by Mr. Brengcl. In 1830 lie was also defeated as a can¬ didate for the Constitutional Convention, bwfe immediately after the adoption of the Constitu¬ tion, whlhh made the Judges elective, he was chos¬ en as one of the Judges of the Coast of Appeals. In 1W3T he vcm appointed Collector of the Port of Baltimore hr Mr. Buchanan, and at the time of his death he held the office of Secretary of State, to which he was appointed by Gov. Wliytc. The two Buchanans, John and Thomas, prac¬ ticed in Hagerstown only a few pars before they runt upon the bench. William Price w4® torn in Washington Coun¬ ty near the end of the century. He graduated at Dickinson College and studied law with John Thompson Mason and Upton Lawrence. In 1823 he represented Washington County in the State Senate. He removed to Cumberland and then to Baltimore where he was elected to the legislature of 1.862 and Was appointed United States District Attorney by President Lincoln. In 1S40 Mr. Price fought a duel with Governor Frank Thomas. The difficulty originated in a speech made by Mr. Price in Cumberland to which Mr. Thomas took exception and sent him a ebaliemge. The meeting took place in Morgan County, Virginia, on the road from Hancock, Md., to Berkeley Springs, or Bath as it was then called. One shot was exchanged between the combatants and then their friends. Win. H. Norris, Judge McPherson and J. Hollingsworth, effected a reconciliation. Mr. Price died November 23, ISfflL Of his fath¬ er, Col. Jns'iah Price, but little is known except: that he was ftps a leading lawyer. He had the military title of Colonel gained in the whiskey insurrection in Washington’s administration. In that affair he had a command. His wife, it is be¬ lieved, was the daughter of the Rev. Wm. Wil¬ liams, a minister of the Presbyterian < 'hsreh who was sent to American from Wales as a missionary. Col. Josiah Price, the father of William Price, lived near the oi heague creek. He had four sftiis. Not having a large fortune he told these sous that they could make their choice between inheriting the property and receiving a liberal education. Two of them, William and Benjamin, elected the ed.tif.al ion. They received every advantage of good schools but begun life without a dollar. Their iyfr brothers l : ®wf«©. died and William and Benjamin finally got the property as veil as the education. A daughter of Col Price, Jane Scott Price, married Andrew Bench of Washington County. One of the daugh¬ ters of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Bench, Sarah Eliz¬ abeth became the wife of Dr. William H. Grimes, another Susan M., of Dr. John M. Gaines and another, Alice, of Doctor Victor D. Miller. Robert J. Brent was born in Louisiana of Maryland parents. He was admitted to the Bar in 1834 and after practicing in Washington for 4 few years he movML to Hagerstown where he practiced law a few years and then went to Bal¬ timore. While in Hagerstown he married a daughter of Upton Lawrence. The mother of Mrs. Brent, that is Mrs. Lawrence, was the only daughter of Jonathan Hager, Jr., son of the founder of Ilnger-town. Mr. Brent died in Bal¬ timore in February IV 2. leaving one son, Robert J. Brent, a member of the Baltimore Bar, and seven daughters. One of the daughters married the late Wiliitxn Kevser of Baltimore. Upton Lawrence was for many years a leader at the Bar and President of the Hagerstown Bank. He was a son of John Lawrence of Linganore, Frederick County and Martha, his wife, daughter of Sir Stephen West. Upton Lawrence moved to Hagerstown to practice law. He married Eliz¬ abeth Hager, granddaughter of the founder of Hagerstown. They had five children, two ses% Jonathan and Upton, and three daughters, only of whom married. She as already stated, mar¬ ried Robert J. Brent. The other two, Martha and Elizabeth spent their lives in Hagerstown, living Oil West Washington street near the corner of Prospect street in a house built by Dr. John Rey¬ nolds. a physician who lived there and died De¬ cember 23.' 18 1-0. William Beverly Clark had a large practice in Hagerstown and Wits prominent in polities. He was born September 4, 181? and died in Balti¬ more April I t, 1 S33, having removed to that city about four years before his deal!:. Ho went into Hfll hnv office of William Price in 1836 and later warned Mr. Price’s daughter. He was a Whig and took part in tin 1 great hard cider eampai n of 184(1. In 18 16 be was elected to the State Smiatc. In tJyiO be was the Whig candidate for Governor, hut was defeated by Enoch Louis Lowe. He was buried in the Epis 'opal graveyard in Hagerstown. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 427 CHAPTER XXIX medical profession of Washington Coun- M ty was no less distinguished than the Ca legal. Of the greatest of all of the physicians of this County, Dr. Frederick Dorsey, we have already told. Before his time the leading physician was Dr. Richard Prindell, of Hagerstown of whom also something has been said. He married Eliza Hart, daughter of Col. Thomas Hart and sister of Lucretia, wife of Henry day. Dr. Pindell went to Kentucky with Col. Hart in 1793. He was for 25 years the fam¬ ily physician of his distinguished brother-in-law Henry Clay. • One year after going to Kentucky, namely Aug. 4, 1794, Mrs. Pindell died. Contemporaries of Dr. Pindell in Hagerstown were Dr. Ilenry Schnebley, Dr. J. Schneblev and Dr. Samuel Young. About 1829 Dr. John 0. Wharton came to Washington County and at Montpelier married Miss Mason, daughter of John Thompson Mason whom he met in Baltimore, while studying medicine. After the wedding he returned to Tennessee, his native State to reside but remained there only one year after which he made Ms home at “Montpelier.” There he. became a farmer and took a part in public affairs as a Democrat. In 1833, and for several succeeding sessions, he was elected to the legislature. In 1848 he was appointed lottery commissioner for Bal¬ timore by Governor Frank Thomas and later he was appointed by President Pierce, Surveyor of the Port of Baltimore. After the Civil War he went to Louisiana and died in New Or¬ leans while on a visit to his son, Col. “'Jack” Wharton. His body was brought to Hagerstown and buried in the Episcopal graveyard. Both of Dr. Wharton’s sons. Col. Wharton, and William F. Wharton, a member of the Baltimore County bar, were Confederate soldiers. His daughter, Mary, was the first wife of Judge Richard H. Alvey. In the early history of the County Dr. Lance¬ lot Jacqufes had an extensive practice in the western end of the County. He was a native of England, served as a surgeon in the Revolutionary Army and several times represented the County in the House of Delegates. He died at his home in Hancock in October 1827, aged seventy-two years. Dr. James Dixon was a pupil of Dr. Fred¬ erick Dorsey. He was born in St. Mary’s County in 1797 and came to Hagerstown to study med¬ icine in Dr. Dorsey’s office. He graduated in Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and practiced in Hagerstown from 1818 to 1828. He died May 1829 aged 38 years. Dr. Thomas Buchanan Duckett lived near Funkstown. He died in 1875 aged 73 years. He was a son of a sister of Judges John and Thomas Buchanan. His wife was a daughter of Joseph Gabby. One of his sons Joseph Gabby Duckett, was shot and killed by Federal troops while cross¬ ing the Potomac to join the Southern Army. Among the distinguished physicians of Mary¬ land in the olden time. Dr. Horatio Clagett takes position. He was bom and lived in Pleasant Valley. His home near Beeler’s Summit on the Washington County Branch railroad, known as “Park Hall,” is still standing. He died in 1850. His wife was Mary, daughter of Honore Martin of Rockville. Dr. Clagett first introduced the 428 HISTOEY AND BIOGEAPHICAL EE COED use of quinine in large doses in the treatment of Malaria. Dr. Howard Kennedy w r as the son of Thomas Kennedy, who while in the Senate of Maryland, introduced the: Mil that removed the political dis¬ abilities of the Jews. Dr. Kennedy was largely engaged in public affairs. He was for some 3 'ears postmaster of Hagerstown and editor of the Mail. In the cholera epidemics he took a leading part. Ho died in 1855. Dr. Kennedy married Miss Frances Howell of Pennsylvania. He left two sons, Howard and Frank. Both died when they were young men and the Parish House of St. John’s Parish, Hagerstown was erected to their memory by their pious mother. Dr. Kennedy had one daughter who is the wife of dambs. Findlay of “Tammany,” Washington County. Dr. Charles jficgill was prominent in Wash¬ ington County for many years both as a politician and a physician. He was candidate for Presiden¬ tial elector on llie Van Buren ticket and in 1836 he was one of the “Glorious Nineteen’’ electors of the Senate of Maryland who brought about the reform of the Constitution and the election of the Senators and Governor by the people. The other elector from Washington County was Kobert Wason. Dr. Ifecgill was also colonel of the twenty-fourth regiment of Maryland militia ap¬ pointed by Governor Philip Francis Thomas and was later Major General in the State troops. Dr. Charles Maegill was a native of Baltimore. He moved to Hagerstown early in life and engaged in the practice of his profession. His home was on South Potomac street near Antietam. He was a leading sftfrit among the Southern sympathizers, in Hagerstown and when Gen. Lee was in the County going to Pennsylvania in the Gettysburg campaign he furnished him, it is said, with a great cleal of information as to roads, etc., and he established a hospital in Hagerstown for sick- and wounded < 'mib derates. Two of his sons had been imprisoned in the town as secessionists and when the Southern Army came they were liberated and both of them joined Lee’s Army. These two sons were Dr. Charles G. W. Maegill, now residing in Catonsville, Md., and Gen. James Maegill, of Pulaski, Virginia. But hefore this time Dr. Mac- gill had gotten into trouble with the government. His son-in-law. Major Swan, at the outbreak Of the war, went South and joined the Southern Army and this was the reason for the arrest of Dr. Maegill and his imprisonment in Fort Hamilton and Fort Lafayette from October 1861 to Novem¬ ber lKBg f He was then unconditionally released and returned to Hagerstown. After the Gettys¬ burg campaign he went to Virginia with Lee’s Army in which ho received a commission from lh’esident Davis. He was in the service until ihg surrender. After the war he settled in Chester- Held County, Virginia, where he died at the res¬ idence of his son-in-law, Dr. S. D. Drewry, May 5, 1881, aged 75 years. He had four sons and several daughters. The sons are Dr. Charles G. W, Maegill, of (htonsyill©, Gen. James Maegill, of Pulaski, William D. Maegill and Danndge Maegill. One of his daughters married Henry l.' -a jilmrg a wealthy hanker of Galveston, Texas. She erected a beautiful memorial to her father in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Hagerstown, of which he had been a vestryman for many years. Dr. Charles G. W. Maegill was horn in Ha¬ gerstown, May 10 , 1833, graduated at the medical school of the University of Maryland in 1853, and practiced medicine in Hagerstown from that time until he joined Lee’s Army in 1863. He was with the Stonewall brigade until the surrender. He escaped from Appomattox and joined Gen. Joseph Johnston's Army in North Carolina. He was paroled at Danville, Va., May 4, 1865, and went to Shepberdstown to practice medicine. He remained there only a few months and then went to Catonsville where he has since resided. Another physician who came to Washington County and became a farmer was Dr. Thomas Maddox of the Tilghmanton district. He was a native oh St. Mary's County, graduated at the Medical School of the University of Maryland and thou practiced for some years in Louisville, Ken¬ tucky, where he distinguished himself for his courage ftnd skill during a cholera epidemic. In 1S48 he came to Washington County. His wife was Mary Princilla Claggctt, daughter of Dr. Thomas John C’iaggett of Frederick County. Dr. Samuel Weisel, a younger brother of Judge Daniel Weisel, practiced medicine in Wil¬ liamsport for forty years where he died in Jan¬ uary 1812. Dr. William Henry Grimes of the Tilghman¬ ton District, was a typist! country doctor of the old school. Dr. Grimes was son of James Grimes, a native of Jefferson County, Va., and his mother was Margaret, daughter of James Strode. He was educated at Mereersburg College and receiv¬ ed his degree in medicine at the University of OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 429 Maryland. His home was at Grimes Station on the Norfolk and Western road, which was named in his honor. He married Sarah Elizabeth, daugh¬ ter of Andrew Eencli in 1855. Dr. Grimes was a physician of remarkable skill and success as a practitioner. His practice extended over a large territory and he worked incessantly. When he was sent for he responded without taking thought of the fee he was to receive. The humblest and poorest sufferer, who had no means to pay and of whom there was no expectation of payment, re¬ ceived his services as freely and cheerfully as the wealthiest patient. He was gentle, kind and charitable and it was not unusual for him to sup¬ ply food as well as medicines to his poor patients. He died in 1891, having practiced medicine more than fifty years among his people. In 1874 he was a member of the Legislature. The successor of Dr. Grimes as practitioner in the Tilghmanton district was Dr. V. Milton Eeichard of Fairplay, a physician of distinguished skill, whose practice extends over a territory stretching from Sharpsburg to Hagerstown and from Williamsport to Boonsboro. He is a son of the late John Eeichard, of that neighborhood. Dr. Eeichard not only attends to his great prac¬ tice but takes a leading part in public affairs, in charities, libraries, the hospital, in the better gov¬ ernment of the schools and in the public road improvement. Among the leading Hagerstown physicians after the war were Dr. N. B. Scott, Dr. A. S. Mason, Dr. William Eagan, Dr. Thomas W. Sim¬ mons, Dr. Charles B. Boyle, Dr. J. McPherson Scott, Dr. 0. II. W. Eagan, Dr. J. B. McKee, Dr. C. E. S. Mclvee and Dr. J. Walker ITumrich- ouse. Dr. N. B. Scott’s career was a distinguished one and his practice extended over fifty years. .Dr. Scott was born in Bruceville, Carroll Count) - , then Frederick County, on May 8, 1819. Fie was a son of John Scott, a native of Belfast, Ireland, and Elizabeth Key Bruce, of Scotland. His mother w - as a first cousin of Francis Scott Key. Dr. Scott was educated at Brooke’s Academy, the Frederick Seminary and St. John’s College, Annapolis. He read medicine in the office of Prof. David Gilbert, professor in surgery of Penn¬ sylvania College, Philadelphia. He was one year in the University of Pennsylvania and after¬ ward entered the University of New York, grad¬ uating in 1844 with the degree of doctor of medi¬ cine. He came to Hagerstown in May, 1844, and practiced his profession continuously with great success until 1894. He married Miss Catherine McPherson, daughter of John B, McPherson, of Gettysburg. His son, Dr. J. McPherson Scott, began the practice of medicine in Hagerstown about 1872 and soon took a high rank in his profession. Dr. N. B. Scott’s other son, Norman B. Scott, Jr., is a member of the bar. Dr. William Eagan came of a family which has been identified with the history of Wash¬ ington County. He married a daughter of Otlio Holland Williams, the nephew of Gen. 0. II. Williams. His son, the present Dr. 0. H. W. Eagan, has the name of his maternal grandfather and inherited his father’s practice and wide pop¬ ularity. Dr. A. S. Mason came from Virginia after the war. He is a member of the distinguished Virginia family of Masons, descended from George Mason of “Gunston Hall.” He was in the South¬ ern Army and after settling in Hagerstown, he speedily acquired a large practice. One of his sons, J. Augustine Mason, is a prominent mem¬ ber of the Hagerstown Bar, having served as State’s Attorney for Washington County and in other official places. Dr. Mason’s oldest daugh¬ ter is the wife of Geh. E. P. Alexander, Lee’s great chief of artillery at Gettysburg. Dr. Thomas W. Simmons came of a Freder¬ ick County family. He spent his life since he was a young man in Hagerstown and besides his good work as a physician, he took a deep interest in public affairs and never failed to array himself upon the side of good and correct methods of government. He died in 1905. Dr. Charles Brooke Boyle was like several of his colleagues, a Confederate soldier, who came to Hagerstown after the war to practice medicine. He is a son of the late John B. Boyle of Car- roll County. He is a good and faithful physi¬ cian, full of charity and good deeds. He married a daughter of Dr. Josiah F. Smith of Hagers¬ town, who is now dead, leaving a number of chil¬ dren. Dr. J. Walker Humrichouse is a son of the late Charles IV. Humrichouse of “Springfield” Washington County, He enjoyed the advantage of a splendid education and graduated at one of 430 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD the leading medical schools of Germany. He is occupies a high position in the estimation of his a specialist of diseases of the eye and ear and people. OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 43 L CHAPTER XXX IpN 1873 was begun the publication of the first 'hi daily newspaper in Washington County. Its h-J publisher was M. Emmert Feehtig who is¬ sued on the 1st of February, the first copy of the Hagerstown Daily News from the office of the Free Press, published by A. G. Boyd. It was a feeble beginning, but it has lasted, with a change of name, clown to the jmesent time. Short¬ ly after the first issue, the paper was removed from the Free Press office to an office on the Pub¬ lic Square and George H. Nock became a partner with Feehtig. In the meantime Boycl started an opposition called the Hagerstown Daily, which however, did not last more than a lew weeks. In June, 1873, Feehtig retired from the News, and the publication was continued by Nock and John IT. Adams. In July 1875 Nock sold out to Wm. S. Herbert, a descendant of the publisher of the Washington Spy, the first newspaper west of the Blue Ridge in this State. The firm of Adams and Herbert, continued to publish the News until 1881 when Herbert sold his interest to Peter A. Witmer. The news was then made a Democratic paper and its publication by Adams & Witmer was continued for many years. Later after brief ownership by others it was purchased, after Mr. Witmer’s death, by the Hagerstown Herald, and since that time has been a Republican paper known as the Morning Herald, published by a corporation. It is now the Republican organ of Washington County. The editor is Mr. Vernon JC» Simmons, and the paper is bright, able and newsy. The Hagerstown Evening Globe was estab¬ lished in 1879 by the present proprietor, Mr. Ira W. Hays. From the first it was a business suc¬ cess and distinctly a newspaper, strictly non-par¬ tisan. It has gradually expanded in its circula¬ tion, its facilities have increased, and it has not only been a profitable business venture, but has gained for itself a high reputation for honesty and accuracy of statement. The Globa is a strik¬ ing object lesson in the publication of County pa¬ pers. Its success shows that politics is not an es¬ sential to a newspaper and that it can succeed without political patronage. . The Globe has been content to give the political news along with other news fairly and dispassionately without the expres¬ sion of opinions. It began in a small way and increased its size and facilities along with the de¬ mands of business. It is now one of the best equip¬ ped and most successful - papers in Maryland. Its Mieeess is not due alone to the sagacity of Mr. Hays, the proprietor, but a share is due to the ex¬ cellent work of Mr. Leslie C. Beard, associate ed¬ itor. In 1890 the third one of the daily papers of Hagerstown, namely the Daily Mail, was estab¬ lished by Edwin Bell and T. J. C. Williams. The Daily Mail was established as the afternoon edition of the Hagerstown Mail, one of the oldest papers published continuously under one name, in the State. In 1828 a .majority of the people of Washington County were in favor of Andrew Jackson for President and there was no newspa¬ per in the County to advocate his cause. There¬ upon a number of leading Democrats got together and raised money to publish The Mail. James Maxwell of Martinsburg, Va., was appointed edi¬ tor and the first issue was sent out on the fourth 432 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL EECOED day of July, 1828—a day famous in Maryland and history. On that same day John Quincy Adams, Presi¬ dent of the "United States, broke ground at George¬ town for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Charles Carroll, of Carrollton began the work of building the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. This lirsi issue of the Mail announced that “the prin¬ ciples of this paper will be as purely Kepublican as those contained in the Declaration of Inde¬ pendence," whether the promise has been kept or not, it is impossible to say, but it has always adhered to the party for the support of which it was establishd, namely what was then called the Kepublican, but now the Democratic party. The first publication office was in the Indian Queen •Tavern, on Washington street between the Court House and the Bank. In 1831 Sir. Maxwell left the Mail and bought the Courier, a literary paper which he changed into an opposition Democratic paper, but it was short lived. Thomas H. Kennedy, former¬ ly Senator from Washington County and at the time postmaster of Hagerstown on April 1, 1831, succeeded Maxwell as editor of the Mail. During Mr. Kennedy's engagement as editor, his son, Dr. Howard Kennedy, did the editorial work. No¬ vember 11, 1831, John D. Ott’s name was publish¬ ed as printer; and on January 9, 1831, William Weber came into the business. For many years the paper was published by the firm of Ott & Weber. Weber finally sold his interest to John A. Freaner, and the firm became Ott and Freaner. In 1848 Ott sold to William F. Brannan, and the firm was for a time Freaner and Brannan. Freaner afterwards moved to Oakland, California, where he live! and practiced law until recent years. Mr. Brannan went to Iowa, where he pros¬ pered and became a leading citizen. After Bran¬ nan went West Mr. Freaner was the sole publish¬ er until 1849, when he sold out to John Rob¬ inson. In 185-5, Daniel Dechert of Pennsylvania, bought the paper. In 1858 he installed a Hoe cylinder press, the first in the County. Dechert published the Mail during the war time and al¬ though he was a Northern man, the conduct of the paper gave great offense to the Union people. On May 24, 18G2 a rumor reached Hagerstown that the 1st Maryland Regiment, U. S. Volun¬ teers had been destroyed at Front Royal arid Col. Ivenly the commander, had had his throat cut. The rumor about CM. Kenly was of course untrue, nevertheless the people were so wrought up over it that that night a mob gutted the Mail office, smashed the presses and all the furniture, de¬ stroyed the files of the paper, reaching back to 1828, and sowed the type broadcast in the Public Square. The: ©like of the paper at the time was on the north side of the Square on the corner of Potomac street on the second floor. After the war, in 1868, Dechert sued the Mayor and Council of Hagerstown for damages for not affording him protection against the mob and he recovered a judgment for $7,500 for which the town issued bonds which figured on the tax bills for many years. The publication of the paper was interrupted by this mob, and at several other times during the war. Shortly after the mob, Mr. Dechert sold a half interest in the paper to Charles J. Nesbitt, who afterwards went to Missouri. On January 27, 1S67, another disas¬ ter happened to the Mail. The office at the time was in the ©Id Eagle Tavern on the west side of the Square in the northwest angle. The building burned and the machinery, type, furniture and files were destroyed. For four weeks the paper was published in a reduced form and then a new outfit was provided. In October, 1866, Janies Mason purchased a half interest. He died August 14, 180 7. In August, 1867, a steam engine was intro¬ duced in the office the first to run a press in the County. In October, 1867, Edwin Bell and Rob¬ ert Mason each purchased a one-third interest in the paper, Beehert owning the other third. Dechert soon became insolvent; his interest had to be sold, and several changes in the proprietorship accrued in quick succession. Georg T. Leitcr bought Dechert’s share and Thomas B. Grimm bought Mason's. Then, in a short time. Calvin P. Hakes bought Grimm’s interest and in August, 1874, T. J. C. Milliams bought Leiter’s interest. Shortly afterwards Mr. Bell and Mr. Milliams together bought Mr. ileikes’ third and Bell and Milliams owned and conduct! the paper until it was changed into a corporation, they retaining a majority of the stock and continuing the publi¬ cation. The incorporation took place in The first president of the company was Frank Ken¬ nedy. whose father. Dr. Howard Kennedy, had been the editor of the Mail a half century before. The company bought a property on South Jona¬ than street, erects! a large building, and moved OP WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND. 433 the publication office there from the north-west corner of the Square, where it had remained for many years. During the period of the editorship of Messrs. Bell and Williams, the Mail became the leading exponent of the reform movement within the Democratic party, in State politics, which was led by Governor Hamilton. The Mail’s edi¬ torials were copied by newspapers throughout the State and the paper became a strong factor in the movement which finally worked a great’ improve¬ ment in the conduct of public affairs, and the establishment of a debt paying policy by the State government. In the fall of 1891 Messrs. Bell and Wil¬ liams sold their stock in the Mail Publishing Com¬ pany and retired from the management. They were succeeded by Mr. Richard J. Hamilton, eld¬ est son of William T. Hamilton, as editor, and Mr. James T. Briscoe as Business Manager. Un¬ der the management of these gentlemen the Mail has prospered and its circulation, especially that of the Daily Edition, has greatly increased. New offices on South Jonathan street, adjoining the rear of the Court House have been erected, and a perfecting press and type-setting machine have been installed. In connection with the paper is a finely equipped job office and book bindery. In every department, the Mail now has a splendid plant. The Mail has been especially fortunate in its employes, two of them, Andrew J. Zinkand and J. Frank Futterer having served it faithfully for nearly forty years. The Hagerstown Herald is the lineal descend¬ ant of one of the first papers in the whole United States published west of the Blue Ridge Moun¬ tains. This paper was the Washington Spy, a complete file of which is preserved in the library of the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. The publication of the Spy was begun by Stewart Herbert and this pioneer paper made its-first ap¬ pearance on New Year’s day, 1790. It seldom contained an item of local news. But its general news was of a high order although limited to a folio of three wide columns to the page. It had some account of the doings of Congress and a good deal of foreign news, all of course gathered by exchanges brought by the infrequent mails. The best insight given as to the local conditions comes from the advertising columns. Five years after the beginning of the Spy, in April, 1795, Stewart Herbert died, and the publication was continued by his widow, Phebe Herbert, and John D. Cary. Cary left after a few months, and Mrs. Herbert published the Spy until she was married to Thomas Grieves, who then became the “printer.” The Spy was discon¬ tinued early in 1797, and was succeeded by the Maryland Herald, published by Grieves, with the same m>e and presses that had been used for the Spy. In point of fact it was the same paper, with a change of name and somewhat enlarged size. The price of the Herald was $2.25 a year. In 1813, Mr Grieves’ step-son, Stewart Herbert, entered into partnership with him in the publica¬ tion of the Plerald. This was the only newspaper published in the English language until 1813, when William D. Bell founded “The Torch Light.” Dr. John Reynolds had purchased the Herald from Grieves & Plerbert, and shortly after the Torch Light was founded Mr. Bell bought the Herald. Down to 1858, it is said, some of the indentical type which had been used in the pub¬ lication of the Spy, was still in use in the Torch Light. The Torch Light, from 1813 to Mr. Bell’s death in 1841, was the leading Whig paper in Western Maryland, and exercised a wide and pow¬ erful influence throughout the State. It was an ardent supporter of Henry Clay and bitterly hostile to General Jackson, especially after he vetoed the Maysville Turnpike bill, and so put an end to all hope of Federal construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio canal, and of the continued extension of the National Turnpike road. From 1841 to 1849, Mr. Edwin Bell, son of the found¬ er, was editor of the Torch Light. Then he went to California, and left the editorship in the hands of his brother-in-law William Motter, afterwards Judge, In 1851 Mrs. Bell, who owned the paper after the death of her husband, sold it to Mittag and Sneary, the proprietors of the IIerald of Free¬ dom, a paper which had been founded in 1839 by James Maxwell, the first publisher of the Mail. After the consolidation of the Herald of Freedom with the Torch Light, the paper was known as “The Herald and Torch Light.” Many changes were made in the proprietorship. But through them all, with one brief interval when Oarridan & McCurdy owned the paper, John R. Sneary was the “spirit of the machine” until, on account of failing health in 1879 he sold his inter¬ est to Charles Negley. Mr. Sneary was almost the last survivor of the typical country editor, or 434 HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD ‘printer,” as lie was called in the early years of the nineteenth century. He inherited no advan¬ tages; what he achieved was the reward of Ins own merit and industry. The son of a poor woman in Hagerstown, he was taken as an appren¬ tice hoy or “printer’s devil" by William D. Bell, into the office of the Torch Light. He had no education except the art of reading, and the sniitll*. est knowledge of the four first rules, of arithmetic. He educated himself at “the case,” read the news¬ papers constantly and carefully, and a few good books. In this way he became thoroughly ac¬ quainted with the politics of the country, and also acquired a style of-writing which, while ex¬ ceedingly homely,. was admirably suited to his purpose. He could tell his readers in language so simple that the most illiteral among them could understand him, just what he desired to His nature was kindly hut he was an intfjjsg partisan. He never troubled himself to look upon both sides of a political question. His own side was good enough for him, and he supported it with all his might. He kept at his work from early morning to the quitting hour in the eve¬ ning. He wrote all the editorials, all the local news, set type when necessary, and pulled the lever of th